Helen Bleazard
AFC Bournemouth’s remarkable 59-game unbeaten run in the league came to an end on Wednesday night as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Oxford United. Despite the setback, manager Helen Bleazard emphasized that this loss would not define their season, maintaining a positive outlook for the future.
Helen Bleazard said: “I said to the girls ‘I’m not going to sit here and get really animated about the fact we’ve lost because you don’t get too high with the success, you don’t get too low with the defeats’. It never has. The draw against Hashtag doesn’t define our season’. In our mid-season review, I said we had a long way to go, just because we are there doesn’t mean we are going to stay there. It’s down to us as a group, it’s down to us as staff, it’s down to us as players. Hopefully the right reflections will go on from the players on what didn’t quite go well and what we needed to work on. Hopefully we can put it right in training on Friday and against Gwalia on Sunday.”
Oxford United secured the victory with a single goal scored by Holly Manders shortly after the hour mark. Manders capitalized on a loose ball, slotting it into the bottom corner to give the hosts the lead. Reflecting on the match, Bleazard acknowledged the disappointment but remained focused on the positives and areas for improvement.
Helen Bleazard said: “It was just a disappointing result. I thought our game plan was good and we were really good out of possession, locked them in the areas we wanted to. It was just our detail on the ball. We were below our standards that we set and expect. I said at half-time that I thought the only way they would score was through a mistake and, unfortunately, that’s what happened. They then sat very deep and they we just couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net. It was just one of those nights where we could have gone for another 20 minutes and, while we were getting closer, it seemed like it would be a bit of a struggle to score, which isn’t like us. We are usually very dominant on the ball, like to create a lot of chances and unfortunately that just didn’t happen.”
The defeat marks a rare blemish on Bournemouth’s impressive league record. However, Bleazard’s comments reflect a determination to learn from the experience and use it as a catalyst for growth. The team’s focus now shifts to their upcoming training sessions and their next match against Gwalia, where they aim to bounce back and continue their pursuit of success in the league.
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