Watching Canberra United without Michelle Heyman is a bit like watching Vera, without Vera. Or watching Unforgotten without the brilliant Nicola Walker. Which happens in series 5 and it takes a bit of getting used to. You keep expecting DCI Cassie Stewart to walk in the room and sort the whole bloody mess out. Same thing happens when Heyman is missing. You look for her when the ball moves forward. You expect her to be lurking in the box or gliding in on goal.  Something’s wrong and disturbing when she’s not there.  Could Canberra cope? 

How the team lined up

You worried for Ruby Nathan as she walked out onto Industree Group Stadium. She looked worried too. Inevitably, she’d be compared to what Heyman might have done with any missed chances. Sure enough, Heyman would have buried that, or similar, comments appeared soon after the final whistle. Which is purely conjecture and hardly fair on Nathan. As it happens, she made a very good fist of it and on another day could have had a hattrick. Stepping into Heyman’s shoes, as it were, didn’t seem to bother her one bit. She had her own shoes.

This game could easily have ended 5-3 to Canberra. Probably should have done. After the initial skirmishes Canberra settled down and started to take control of the first half. They were playing confidently and with more patience than previous games. New signing Madison Ayson was calm on the ball and happy to swap passes with Anton and there’s only one Sally James at the back, building patiently and waiting for gaps to appear. 

Then in the 10^th minute Pennock ran onto a ball threaded nicely into Canberra’s penalty box. Anton came across and dived in for the tackle to prevent the shot. Her timing wasn’t quite right and Pennock went to ground. Canberra had no arguments with the penalty. Up stepped Pennock to take the penalty as the rain started to fall. There’s only one Sally James dived to her left and saved the penalty nonchalantly, immediately rising to her feet and getting on with the game, like nothing happened. 

By the 15^th minute Canberra had 64% possession. The first time this season they’ve had territorial superiority over a team.  A goalmouth scramble saw a succession of Canberra players have shots on goal only for Mariner legs to get in the way. Then Ruby Nathan couldn’t get good contact in the box following a cut back from Markovski. The pressure was building. Moments later Nathan again got on the end of a great run from Keane, but goalkeeper Langman pulled off a good save. Keane also had a good strike from distance that skidded off the damp surface. You felt something was brewing in Canberra’s favour. And it was. 

At the 38^th minute mark Robers won the ball in defence and immediately released Nathan in the Mariners half. Nathan was on her lonesome with four defenders to get past. She caused enough panic and delay for the cavalry to arrive. Stanic-Floody collected the loose ball and fed it back to Nathan, who saw Markovski coming to her right. She laid a simple ball off to Markovski about 30 metres from goal. Maya Markovski looked up and unleashed a contender for goal of the season, rifling the ball into roof of the Mariners net to make it 1-0. Markovski and Keane did a little dance. And why not. 

Canberra should have made it 2-0 just before half time following a lovely move that started with Ayson, showing good turn of pace to move out of defence, who saw Markovski pointing to a gap down the right wing. Ayson found Markovski with a sharp pass. Markovski then found Keane on the overlap. Keane turned and rolled the defender superbly, advancing toward Langman, she pulled the ball back for Robers in front of goal. Robers scuffed the shot with the goal open.  It would have been just reward for Canberra’s best half of the season so far. 

At half time Canberra had 57% possession and had 14 shots to Mariners 3. Apart from the penalty blip, Canberra controlled the half, built on the back of a calm defence and excellent work from Malone, Stanic-Floody, Robers and Keane in midfield to claim possession. 

Substitutes rule

The second half started like the first with a brief period of nothing! Two sides jostling for possession but the ball going nowhere. Canberra appeared to have changed to a more attacking formation with Taylor-Young pushing forward on the left wing, leaving three at the back. On the 54^th minute Canberra snapped into action with another flowing move. Anton collected the ball from there’s only one Sally James and found Malone. Malone turned and flicked a neat ball to Taylor-Young on the halfway line. She threaded a first-time ball to Keane, who turned and spotted both Nathan and Markovski running into space. Markovski shrugged off the challenge and broke into the box with only Langman to beat. Langman was having a fine game and pulled off a one-handed save. The ball went out to Ruby Nathan on the six-yard box. This was her moment. The I can do this moment. The we don’t rely on Michelle Heyman moment. A split-second delay in shooting allowed Langman to get back on her feet and block the shot. The moment was gone. 

13 minutes into the second half the Mariners made a double substitution, bringing on 16-year-old junior Matilda Tiana Fuller and the more experienced Shadeen Evans. Both attacking players. It didn’t seem so at the time, but this was a significant moment in the match. On the hour Evans belted a cross field pass to the edge of the Canberra box toward Peta Trimis. Taylor-Young forced the play out wide but a rather innocuous looking cross floated into the Canberra penalty area. Evans caused Anton to miss the header and the ball fell to young Fuller. Now this was her moment, no delay, she took it with a neat finish. Well done Tiana Fuller. Sarah Langman ran the full length of the field to celebrate with Fuller. Maybe Fuller thanked Langman for keeping them in the game!

The equaliser came out of the blue and was against the run of play. Canberra was still in control and looked comfortable. But that’s football!  Nothing as dangerous as a 1-0 lead. 

The game resumed its pattern with Canberra largely in control. Ruby Nathan racked up another attempt on goal only to see her shot deflected over the bar. Dos Santos came on for Stanic-Floody, another positive move. Then, again out of the blue, Evans picked the ball up just inside the Canberra half and spotted Pennock with a little space behind Anton. She made the pass and sprinted off toward the Canberra goal. Pennock took the ball to the line and by that time Evans had sprinted 40 metres into the box ahead of three desperate Canberra defenders. Pennock pulled the ball back to Evans who hit it first-time into there’s only one Sally James’s near post. 2-1 in an instant. It was Evans first goal in the competition since her debut in 2018. And it was a good one. 

Football can be an unforgiving game. From being in control and feeling they should be 2 or 3 goals in the lead, Canberra now found themselves trailing 2-1. Still, they kept moving forward. Darcey Malone was having her best game for Canberra and pulling the strings in midfield. She put McKenzie into space on the right-hand side and she floated a teasing cross into the box. Dos Santos and Nathan got in each other’s way and the chance was lost. Then Taylor-Young and Markovski combined well on the left and Taylor-Young hit a terrific ball into the box which Nathan couldn’t quite reach. Christopherson, Holly Murray and Tegan Bertolissio came on for Keane, McKenzie and Markovski. Canberra kept pressing but time ran out with the Mariners scrambling to hang on for the win. 

This was the game that got away and Canberra will feel aggrieved and ever so slightly robbed. But there were plenty of positives to be taken from this game. This was easily Canberra’s best game this season. They looked composed and played some delightful football. Darcey Malone was outstanding in midfield. Madison Ayson will settle into the team and looks like a calm and strong player alongside Anton. Keane had another strong game. Markovski can score from anywhere. Canberra had 24 shots to 8 from the Mariners. Looking at the game and the stats it does beg the Heyman question. But let’s not go there. 

 

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