Martin Herdman, the manager of Norwich City, called his team’s 2-0 loss to the London Bees in the Women’s National League Cup a “good reality check.” This was the Canaries’ first loss in a competitive game since April.
Although every tier three and four team in the nation competed in the competition, and a victory for City at The Hive would have advanced them to the quarterfinals, they ultimately lost to their opponents from the Southern Premier Division.
Prior to Sunday’s game, the Bees had been out of form, but Kayla Potter and Abbie Bensted helped inflict Herdman’s first loss as City manager.
Herdman stated, “I think this was a good reality check for us,” after the loss. “We’re a good team, (but) we’re still not there yet, and I think sometimes it can become a little bit of a monkey on your back when you expect (to keep winning).”
“I don’t think London Bees were really at it either, but we weren’t at it either. Both teams put on a really lackluster show, and it took two 25-yard field goals into the upper corner to seal the victory.
“Well, this was a really odd performance, and of the ten or eleven games we’ve played, this is the first one that felt a little bit flat.
You simply cannot touch it; that is the nature of football. Every elite team takes a day off, so we just need to get back up and play again.
Even though they eventually failed to force extra time, City’s performance after the break was much better than their first-half showing.
Herdman said, “We weren’t throwing teacups around in the dressing room or anything like that,” when talking about the remarks made during the intermission. All we wanted to do was find out how the girls felt and what areas they thought weren’t working.
We felt that having an extra person up there after the half would help us with the press and give us more runners. With her quickness and her strength, Rachel (Lawrence) and Toddy (Megan Todd) were both very helpful.
“Both teams were undermining one another and could only go so far together. The teams were, in my opinion, quite evenly matched. With a few minor adjustments here and there, I believe we could defeat them if we played at home.
It’s interesting to note that Herdman changed the formation to a three-at-the-back, which center-back Ceri Flye said the Canaries’ defense found easy to adapt to at halftime.
We know we can play a (back) four or a three, and we have that in our locker,” the woman remarked. We are proficient in all areas and have the staff to handle both.
We should occasionally just switch things around in-game to see if we can make a difference, and today I believe it went really nicely for us. I believe that choice will be a huge asset for us moving forward.
Flye, who had been sidelined for a month due to an injury, is excited to be playing again and is looking forward to some crucial games for City.
“I was in a buzz,” she said. “I’ve been asking our physiotherapist, Jill, when I may play, and she’s been putting a hold on me for a while. However, I’m happy that she did since I feel prepared and strong.
It’s difficult to watch from the sidelines, but they’ve been playing excellently, so it was wonderful to be back on the field today. Even though we lost, I’m personally relieved to have played 90 minutes, and I’m already excited about Ashford (Town) the following week.
