Powell happy with victory
Friday, 06 March, 2009
Hope Powell saw her England team run out 6-0 winners against South Africa.
England 6-0 South Africa
Cyprus Cup
International Friendly Tournament
Thursday 5 March
Larnaca, Cyprus
England Head Coach Hope Powell watched her side ease to a 6-0 victory over South Africa in the opening match of the Cyprus Cup and then expressed delight at the way her side performed throughout.
Fara Williams and Lianne Sanderson had put the Three Lions 2-0 up inside 20 minutes and England never looked like surrendering the lead from that position.
A third goal before half-time from Kelly Smith gave England a comfortable cushion and allowed Powell to make a few substitutions before the restart.
"It took us about ten minutes to get settled into the match and get our rhythym going," Powell admitted, "but once we got into the game we looked bright.
"I'm pleased that a number of different players got on the scoresheet. When we went in at half-time we were 3-0 up and we set a target of eight goals.
"Perhaps we could have scored more goals," she continued, "but I'm happy that we got six and didn't concede, so we look forward to the next game."
That next game is against France on Saturday with Scotland next up on Tuesday and with the European Championship beginning in August, Powell spoke of the importance of acclimatising to tournament football before they fly to Finland.
"This is the start of our preparation for the European Championship and the tournament experience is important in that respect.
"With the youth tournaments that England have qualified for in recent years I don't think there are any players in this squad who haven't already got tournament experience. That means playing games, resting, playing, recovering. It's an important part of the development.
"The nice thing is we've never played South Africa before and dealing with the unknown was an important part of the game."
For further information surrounding the tournament, please visit
www.visitcyprus.com
England
1 Siobhan Chamberlain, 2 Alex Scot, 3 Casey Stoney, 4 Fara Williams (C), 5 Anita Asante, 6 Stephanie Houghton, 7 Karen Carney (22 Jess Clarke, 62), 8 Jill Scott (16 Katie Chapman, 46), 9 Lianne Sanderson (17 Eniola Aluko, 74), 10 Kelly Smith (15 Emily Westwood, 46 (19 Danni Buet, 72), 11 Sue Smith (20 Rachel Yankey, 46)
Goals
Williams 18, Sanderson 19, Smith 42, Houghton 54, Chapman 87, 90+1
South Africa16 Mukondi Mulaudzi, 3 Simphiwe Dludlu, 2 Lena Mosebo, 5 Janine Van Wyk (Emily Magotlhe, 46), 13 Hlengiwe Ngwane, 14 Busisiwe Ndimeni, 8 Kylie-Ann Louw (C) (15 Chantelle Esau, 46), 12 Mpho Rammala, 18 Nompumelelo Nyandeni, 19 Sebata Molatelo (9 Amanda Dlamini), 11 Noko Matlou