The HGFPL 2026/27 season kicked off this weekend amidst scenes of great joy and excitement! Unfortunately, despite sharing the same pitches, our boys will have to wait a good while longer after the start of the West Herts Youth League was put back until 4th October due to hard ground conditions, a decision that has been received by our club with bemusement.
Anyway, onwards and upwards and our U12 Girls began their season with an excellent team performance and a hard-earned draw against a resilient Evergreen side. Led out by captain Juniper, Borehamwood lined up in a 3-3-2 formation, aiming to control the tempo through midfield. From the opening whistle, the players demonstrated their team-first mindset: "We play as a team and cover each other."
Borehamwood made a blistering start. The wide midfielders immediately began supplying Daisy and Elsie in attack, and Elsie produced the first opportunity when she controlled a half-volley, spun quickly and fired narrowly wide. The pressure continued. Tippi commanded the back line from centre-back, using her strength and composure to prevent Evergreen from gaining a foothold. She also went close at the other end with a long-range effort that flew just over the crossbar. Elsie then broke free on a powerful solo run, but Evergreen's determined defence managed to block her path.
Evergreen remained dangerous on the counterattack, and goalkeeper Olivia had to be alert when an opposition striker broke through one-on-one. Olivia bravely closed down the attacker and made a superb save. Her reading of the game was excellent throughout, and she regularly left her line to support the back three.
In midfield, Maisie, Juniper and Katy worked tirelessly. Juniper and Maisie tracked back to support the defence, while Katy took up a more attacking role. She came close to opening the scoring when she connected with an Elsie cross, only to send her effort narrowly wide.
Sienna stood strong at right-back and linked up well with Maisie and Daisy. On the opposite side, Anisia did what she does best, using her pace and positioning to force attackers away from goal and minimise the number of crosses into the box.
Evergreen defended deeply to withstand Borehamwood's pressure, with their goalkeeper producing several remarkable saves. Borehamwood's enthusiasm occasionally worked against them, as some excellent attacking moves were stopped by the offside flag. This is an area the team can improve by timing forward runs more carefully and looking across the defensive line before accelerating.
Daisy almost found the breakthrough after escaping down the right wing, cutting inside and shooting from a difficult angle, but the post denied her. With 15 minutes remaining in the half, Gracie and Polly were introduced to provide fresh pace and energy. Elsie soon tested the goal again with a long-range shot that went just wide.
Despite Borehamwood's dominance, Evergreen capitalised on a rare attack. Following a throw-in inside the Borehamwood half, a shot took a cruel deflection and found its way into the net. It was a harsh setback after such a strong performance, but Borehamwood dusted themselves down and immediately pushed forward again.
Borehamwood entered the second half one goal behind but with their spirits high. Sienna moved into midfield and showed her adaptability, delivering a pinpoint cross towards Katy. The team continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession and kept Evergreen under pressure.
Evergreen still posed a threat on the break. When they beat the defence and sent a long shot towards goal, Maisie sprinted back at full speed and produced a remarkable goal-line clearance. It was an outstanding example of determination and of the team's commitment to covering one another.
Borehamwood were playing well, but at times they tried to force the ball through crowded central areas rather than making full use of the wide players. With the team's speed and skill on both wings, switching the play earlier and creating more opportunities out wide will make Borehamwood even harder to defend against.
As the clock ticked down, frustration understandably began to build. Borehamwood had applied relentless pressure but continued to be denied by Evergreen's goalkeeper and an overly disciplined linesman.
Then the deserved chance arrived. Elsie broke free on the right, took on a defender and, from the tightest of angles, blasted a shot across goal. The ball skimmed the post before hitting the back of the net. It was a brilliant individual goal and no more than Borehamwood deserved.
Evergreen were not finished, but Xyla tracked back superbly to block a dangerous shot. At the other end, Juniper drove through the middle on a determined solo run, but her effort was saved. The final whistle brought an entertaining and closely contested game to an end, with the teams sharing the points.
Although the match finished 1-1, Borehamwood can take enormous encouragement from their first performance of the season. In attack, they were a force to be reckoned with and created chances throughout. The midfielders were the engine of the team, working tirelessly and controlling the tempo from the opening whistle. Defensively, Borehamwood looked as strong and composed as ever. Rather than simply clearing the ball under pressure, the defenders looked up and tried to find a teammate, showing how much their confidence and decision-making have developed. Olivia was outstanding in goal. Her reading of the game continues to improve, and her fearless willingness to dive at the feet of opposition players gives the whole team confidence.
The main areas to work on are timing attacking runs to stay onside, using the wings more consistently and remaining patient when facing a deep defensive line. These are small improvements that can help Borehamwood turn their territorial dominance into even more goals.
Player of the Match went to Maisie, whose work rate, determination and extraordinary goal-line clearance summed up the team's spirit. Evergreen's Player of the Match award went to Elsie, who scored a superb equaliser and was a constant threat throughout the game.