By Sean Lawrenson, Co-Deputy Sport Editor
Welcome to Epigram's exclusive coverage of Derby Day 2024/25. From Football and Lacrosse to Netball and Tennis, here are the stories behind the biggest day for sport at the University. Brought to you by our talented team of writers.
As Derby Day began to reach its conclusion, many teams still fought for the ultimate prize of beating their respective rivals. One such outfit was Bristol’s futsal team, facing up against UWE in what was bound to be a captivating contest.
The game started as it continued: fast-paced and entertaining. Possession shifts so quickly in Futsal, with the back and forth nature of the game on full display from the outset. There were a few chances for Bristol early on, including one shot that just narrowly missed the goal. Their hard work paid off four minutes into the half, when an individual bit of skill led to a smashed shot thundering into the right side of the goal.
The game had begun in Bristol’s favour, but it quickly swung back into their oppositions favour. A quick equaliser from UWE would have dampened the Bristol spirit, who had been so impressive up until the equaliser went in. From there the goals began to flow in, UWE grabbed another in quick succession with a rifled shot into the bottom right hand corner. This was quickly responded to by Bristol, who equalised with a well-worked team goal that left the UWE keeper helpless on the ground.
Whist the game continued at this pace for some while, it wasn’t until fifteen minutes into the twenty minute half that the real breakthrough came. In what was a disastrous three minutes for the Bristol team, UWE were able to grab three goals in succession. The first, a fine finish into the top of the goal, the second and third were team moves resulting in easy finishes for their players. The Bristol team had a lot of work to do, now being 5-2 down against their rivals at half time.
The second half saw much of the same. The Bristol team struggled to get a grip on the game, to implement a free-flowing style of football that their opponents had succeeded in. At one point it seemed likely that they were going to change, when shouts of ‘press’ came from a Bristol player, but UWE simply played a little chip pass over the top and were in on goal for another tap in. Bristol had their chances to make the contest more interesting, but it was a combination of missed chances and superb defending from UWE that prevented Bristol from getting back into the match. One notable moment saw the Bristol players work the ball round the UWE goalkeeper only for their shot to be blocked on the line by a defender.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Bristol players though. The Bristol goalkeeper, despite conceding more than his UWE counterpart, showed great determination in preventing the scoreline from getting embarrassing, making a string of fine saves that really should have gone in.
One thing that strikes you is the speed at which these players play. With Futsal being a lot smaller than football, it is easy to feel that the ball will continually go out of play, making the game a stop-start kind of match. But it wasn’t like that. Partly down to the refereeing, but mostly due to the skill of the players, possession flowed freely between the two teams, regularly making sensational chipped passes to their teammates. Thunderous shots were met by steadfast goalkeepers, who would get up off the ground quickly after just having taken a ball to the face from mere yards out. The match was a joy to watch as someone who had never watched a game of futsal prior to this. The energy, the speed, determination (despite only being a friendly) only display was exceptional.
But the pressure implemented by UWE was simply too much for the Bristol players, as they struggled to play the ball out from the back with any quantifiable success. Good chances came predominantly from quick counters and long throw ins from the goalkeeper. Had these chances been converted it likely would have been a different story. By the time Bristol were able to get another goal back, UWE had added another two to make the scoreline 8-4 with only a handful of minutes left. Briefly, it looked as if Bristol were going to get themselves back into the match after they followed with another goal, but UWE quickly extinguished that hope by piling on the misery. The final score ultimately didn’t do justice to Bristol, who had played well enough to be within a goal or two of their opposition, but the lack of chance conversion was ultimately their undoing.
Final Score: Bristol 5-9 UWE
Featured image courtesy of Weronika Lecka
