There’s been some pretty tough times over at Calverton-based Arnold Eagles this past season with on-field dramas seeing, on several occasions, fielding eight-to-ten players.

Be it their East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Division One North Seniors side, who sit third bottom with seven to play, or their Notts Girls & Ladies League Seniors One Development side, joint-bottom with ten to play, and an upcoming League Cup semi-final.

Overall, the two Eagles sides have played thirty matches this season, winning a third of them, however, consecutive losses to Basford United will have hurt badly, especially the exit from the recent, Nottinghamshire FA Women’s County Cup match, on Valentines Weekend.

Hosting Basford United, on Sunday 16 February, it would be the visitors who’d eventually emerge victorious, the hosts having led 1-0, and 2-1, before taking hold of the game in the final fifteen minutes to claim a 4-2 success, Katie Platts with a brace for the victors.

With Hannah Daniel and Kitty Ward netting for the Eagles, only half of the story was told as the hosts’ recent troubles came to light; previous outings, against Dronfield Town (lost 2-1), and Belper Town (won 2-0), Ward netting in both, would see manager Neil Matthews (alongside assistant manager Matt Button, and coaches Ian Shaw and Richard Povey) side play with just ten players.

Then came the County Cup semi-final, and the Eagles turning out with just eight players, Matthews having no choice but to field the following side, and a 4-3 formation –

Ciara Button; Lilianna Cousins, Chloe Stocks, Hannah Hughes, Holly Gibson (capt); Eve Munyanyi, Hannah Daniel, Kitty Ward

Speaking to the Eagles captain, Holly Gibson, she told the Nottingham Sport of the goings-on at the club, and fielding with less than the ‘usual’ starting eleven.

“In the end, it was a pretty positive experience for us so, although we lost the game, we were really happy afterwards,” began Gibson, who, at 28-years-old, is studying towards the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualification.

“We went into that game knowing we had a lot of players sitting at home, twiddling their thumbs, because they couldn’t play.

“On a different day we probably could, and perhaps would have done, more.

“We had a squad of ten at training prior to the game, but I can see why things were done the way they were.

“I was mentally prepared for ten players and we just laughed about it when we got in the changing rooms before the game.

“It was a big dressing room, with so few people in them, and it was a big ask as well; we couldn’t even ‘park the bus’ as we didn’t have enough to go out there and do that either.”

Amidst illness and injury in the squad, there was also the small matter of the reason behind fit players, not players; competition rules stating that only players that were registered prior to the previous round are permitted to play if they hadn’t played three competitive games.

For Arnold, the previous round was in mid-November, some three months earlier, and had only played six matches (three league, three cup) between times.

“There was genuinely no pressure on us and we had to be very realistic of what would happen once the whistle went,” continued the Eagles captain.

“Every one of us put a shift in though and, despite the result, I believe that that (Basford) were getting more and more frustrated,” the Eagles were one-nil up inside ten minutes, and two-one to the good just after the hour mark, the visitors levelling, for a second time, with fifteen remaining.

“That last fifteen, for me, was the only time they really used the extra players and were continually using long-ball tactics.”

Another positive to come out of recent matches at the club, the stepping up of younger players, Maya Romaniuk (against Belper) and Eve Munyanyi (against Basford), both of whom have impressed the former Nottingham Forest Development player who’s been at Arnold Eagles for around four seasons now.

“There’s been really good support between the First and Devs, but there’s also been times we’ve been really caught out, and this one, it just got away from us,” explained Gibson.

“It is hard when you’re in the thick of it and there’s little luck going your way, but Maya (Romaniuk) and Eve (Munyanyi) stepping up, has been great to see and they’ve done really well.”

Now it’s a case of pushing on, and looking at climbing the respective tables for the Seniors and Development sides at the club – the seniors will begin March with an away trip to Buxton, before hosting Gainsborough Trinity, the former bottom of the table, and the latter, the leaders, whilst the Devs have their League Cup semi-final away to Southwell City, followed by Calverton Miners Welfare in the league.

“We’re looking to have a strong finish to the season,” concluded Gibson.

“There is some positive momentum behind us, and there’s positivity within the players, so we just need to maybe take a step back, and enjoy the football.”

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*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @ArnoldEaglesFC the Eagles won promotion last season to the EMWRFL Premier Division.