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Ferns Make History By Beating The Motherland

by Jeremy Ruane

England, one of the pre-tournament favourites ahead of the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in France, were upstaged by the Football Ferns at Brighton's AMEX Stadium on 1 June, with the colonial upstarts stunning the Motherland's representatives 1-0 in front of a 20,076-strong crowd.

It's the first time ever that any New Zealand side has conquered the country which gave the world its greatest, biggest and most popular sporting code, and couldn't have come on a more timely note, with what is set to be the most widely followed FIFA Women's World Cup Finals ever kicking off in just six days' time.

On their first half showing, the Football Ferns never looked like winning this friendly international. During the first twenty minutes in particular, they played like a team which had been cobbled together at the last minute from among those enjoying the sunshine on Brighton's beaches!

Their passing was too often woeful, lacking precision and accuracy aplenty, while there were numerous instances of sloppy play, with aspects one should regard as footballing fundamentals not being applied in the heat of battle.

That England weren't at least three goals up and cruising by half-time was largely down to Football Ferns goalkeeper Erin Nayler, rightly named Player of the Match by long-time England women's football commentator and former international Sue Smith as the game entered stoppage time.

The Kiwi custodian's denials kept her country in the contest, and, aided by some astute half-time tactical changes by coach Tom Sermanni and strong showings by New Zealand's two most-capped players, Abby Erceg and Ria Percival, the platform upon which this famous and historic victory was founded came to pass.

It was a fourth minute pass from Meikayla Moore which set the trend for the Football Ferns' insipid opening stanza, an under-hit stroke which prompted Nayler to dash off her line and clear off the toes of the fast-approaching Fran Kirby.

Five minutes later, Nayler herself was guilty of a wayward pass, or perhaps it was Katie Bowen's failure to anticipate that she would be the recipient. Either way, Kirby swooped on the sphere and played in Jodie Taylor, who found Nayler on top of her in an instant.

The 'keeper clipped the striker, who briefly stayed on her feet before dropping to the ground, presenting Polish referee Monika Mularczyk with a decision to make. She opted to wave play on, when it could - perhaps should - have been the penalty spot to which she pointed.

Within seconds, Taylor headed a Nikita Parris header past the post, then the number nine got in behind the defence on receipt of Alex Greenwood's ball forward, only to find no one up in support when she pulled the goal back into the goalmouth - as a forward responsible for leading the line, that lack of support from your team-mates, particularly those bombing on from midfield, has to be discouraging.

White was next to put her team-mates under pressure, failing to see Taylor lurking with intent as she hit a back-pass towards Nayler, who had to block at the striker's feet to prevent England from exploiting the situation to the full.

Within seconds, Nayler was called upon again, this time to keep out a Toni Duggan cross-shot in the aftermath of England's best chance so far. They continued to create them, although by now the Football Ferns had got their collective heads around the fact they were only playing England in a friendly in Brighton, and not a footballing juggernaut such as Liverpool in the European Cup Final!

The Lionesses kept knocking on the door, however. Greenwood's deliciously angled cross into the penalty area in the 23rd minute was blocked by Erceg, with the rebound falling kindly to Parris, who steered her shot just past the far post.

Ten minutes before half-time, Parris was guilty of another miss, firing wildly over the top after working the opening thanks to a one-two with Kirby, who was one of many in the mix moments later as the Football Ferns survived a truckload of England pressure by getting bodies in the way or directing defensive headers away from the target.

Having weathered the storm, the Football Ferns mounted their lone attack of the half on the stroke of half-time, via a Percival free-kick from just inside England's half. The Lionesses failed to clear their lines, and White didn't hesitate, swooping on the loose ball before lashing a twenty yarder at the target.

The shot took out England captain Steph Houghton, striking her square amidships and literally knocking the wind from her sails. With their captain lying prone, again didn't fulfil their defensive duties, and this time it was Betsy Hassett who was the beneficiary, edging past an opponent before battering a shot goalwards.

Carly Telford, hitherto unoccupied in England's goal, produced a fine save to divert this goal-bound effort to safety, albeit at the expense of a corner, which, after Houghton had recovered following treatment, was delivered to the far post by Percival.

White rose to head the ball, but instead copped

Lucy Bronze's head on her forehead, a blow which left the former Liverpool striker dazed and in need of urgent treatment, given a nasty-looking egg was beginning to form at the point of impact.

The half-time break allowed the Football Ferns medical team to patch up one of New Zealand's pin-up girls and get her back on the park for the second spell, which was just as well given the role White was to play in proceedings five minutes after the resumption of play.

Percival strode over the half-way line before lofting an angled left-to-right pass towards Catherine Bott, who was making a run down the right flank. Greenwood attempted to head the ball to safety, but only guided it towards the fleet-footed flank player, who steered the sphere into the stride of White, racing up inside her.

Without hesitation, she lashed a shot on goal from the edge of the penalty area which was too hot for Telford to handle - a fatal error, as Sarah Gregorius, who had ploughed a lone furrow for little reward during the first half, swooped to slam home the rebound from the edge of the six yard box before racing away to celebrate, her team-mates in hot pursuit.

That roused the natives into mounting further sustained raids, the first of them a Lucy Staniforth free-kick from the edge of the penalty area - this foul was one of Rebekah Stott's few mistakes in this match - which fizzed inches over the far angle of post and crossbar.

Enter Karen Carney, who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and proceeded to create mayhem aplenty for the Football Ferns to deal with throughout the balance of the half.

Within seconds of her introduction, Staniforth's angled pass invited Carney to dash to the by-line before whipping in a cross which parted Taylor's hair as it streaked across the goal area..

Three minutes later, Carney got the better of Bott before battering a curled attempt goalwards. Nayler grabbed this, then smothered a tame Keira Walsh shot at the sharp end of a sharp move on the hour featuring Bronze, Staniforth and Carney.

Back came the Football Ferns, a Percival corner picking out Stott beyond the far post, her volley being blocked to safety by Bronze, moments before Hassett picked out freshly introduced substitute Hannah Wilkinson, who guided the ball down to White,

Houghton thwarted the striker on this occasion, while twenty minutes from time White lashed a twenty-five yarder over the bar following Percival's surge forward from deep.

In between times, England went close twice more. Carney evaded two challenges on the left before doing Stott like a kipper prior to linking with Taylor, whose pass back allowed Staniforth to lift the ball over the defence and pick out Carney, darting in behind.

Nayler saved well at her near post to frustrate the substitute, and was relieved to see Moore block another Walsh effort in the 69th minute after a corner had been wrongly awarded to England, much to the ire of Football Ferns captain Ali Riley, whose earlier remonstrations with referee Mularczyk had already earned her the game's solitary caution.

After Carney had evaded Bott's clutches before delivering a cross to the far post which substitute Jill Scott headed narrowly wide, a slew of substitutions broke up the momentum of the game, even though one of them, the Football Ferns' Olivia Chance nearly struck her side's second goal seconds after coming on, Telford thwarting the newcomer as she linked up with fellow substitute Wilkinson in the 74th minute.

England continued to press for an equaliser, but Erceg and company weren't going to be denied this historic victory, no matter what their hosts threw at them. Defensive interventions were numerous in the latter stages of proceedings, during which a looping Houghton header landed on the roof of the net, and Georgia Stanaway blazed a shot over the bar in a desperate effort to stave off defeat.

It was a given come the final whistle, however, one which marks another significant milestone in New Zealand's recent footballing renaissance, beginning with the Young Ferns' third-placed finish at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals, and continuing with the Youth All Whites' current conquests at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Finals in Poland.

Add to those achievements this long-awaited win over the Motherland, a result which, allied to their first thirty-odd minutes' showing against the USA a fortnight ago, will raise an eyebrow or three in the women's footballing world and give hope to all Kiwi followers that perhaps this tournament is the one in which the Football Ferns will finally fulfil the promise they have long hinted at.

England: Telford; Bronze, Houghton, McManus, Greenwood; Staniforth (Scott, 68), Walsh (Stanaway, 89); Parris (Mead, 68), Kirby, Duggan (Carney, 54); Taylor (E. White, 75)

F'ball Ferns: Nayler; Stott, Moore, Erceg, Riley (booked, 56); Bott (Satchell, 83), Bowen, Percival, Hassett (Longo, 73); R. White (Chance, 73), Gregorius (Wilkinson, 64)

Referee: Monika Mularczyk (Poland)

Road To France & Tokyo