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LONDON — Nicola Docherty‘s wonder-strike at the start of the second half was all that Scotland needed to beat Australia by a 1-0 scoreline in a competitive friendly at Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium on Friday.
Resting some of his bigger names ahead of their second friendly this window, against England, the match gave Australia coach Tony Gustavsson another chance to see some of his young players in action, with six players under the age of 25 in the starting XI.
Although the emergence of younger players has been a hallmark for the Swede since taking charge of the Matildas in 2020, with the coach using his first two seasons in charge to bring players in and get them comfortable at the international level, it is something Gustavsson continues to practice, even three months out from the start of the World Cup. With the idea that all roads have very much been leading to Sydney on July 20, the friendly against Scotland marked just another step on the trail, with the bigger focus always on the development of the team’s performances and the growing familiarity of those in the squad.
On top in the early exchanges, it was 20-year-old Mary Fowler who was running the show for the Matildas, the midfielder given a loose role that saw her travel from one box to the other, hunting the ball down as Australia looked for an early advantage. Yet, as Scotland began to grow into the game, the reliable midfield of Katrina Gorry and Kyra Cooney-Cross began to sag, losing purchase against the Scots.
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Even with Scotland enjoying more time in the attacking third, the new defensive partnership of Clare Polkinghorne and Clare Hunt stood up to the pressure to keep goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold well covered.
Before Gustavsson entered the fray for Australia, the Matildas had a firmly defined squad that, although talented, was limited by a lack of depth and any injuries to starters frequently impacting the whole team. However, thanks in large part to the development of the A-League Women, which has offered an expedited development path for those born in the late ’90s, young players can stay in their home country to improve their domestic game before leaving for a different challenge elsewhere.
Not only has the A-League (formerly the W-League) helped develop stalwarts in the squad, but it has played a key role in the emergence of the next generation who have given Gustavsson vital options in terms of rotation and depth.
Matildas fans will remember the discomfort of the 2019 World Cup, where mounting injuries in defence led former coach Ante Milicic into shuffling players out of position and repurposing them to cover the gaps. Yet, heading into this summer’s tournament, the coach has much-needed defensive options with Charlotte Grant offering cover for both Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter as well as Courtney Nevin available to take over Carpenter’s left-back duties. Indeed, even at centre-back where Australia have so frequently been shorthanded, the rise of Hunt has meant that there was little to worry about when experienced centre-back Alanna Kennedy dropped out of the squad due to injury with Matilda McNamara providing yet more cover in the central defensive areas.
With just three caps for the seniors coming into this game, Hunt could have wobbled under the pressure, but instead she showed the same composure in the heart of defence as she has for the Western Sydney Wanderers this season. As her new centre-back partner and Matildas stalwart Polkinghorne said, “Clare Hunt’s come in and she’s slotted right in and she’s a very mature player and she’s just taken everything in her stride and it’s really nice to see her doing well.
“We’ve spoke a lot about; it’s going to take the whole squad to take us through the World Cup and every player is going to be extremely important in our journey, and the more competition we have for spots and the higher quality of player we have fit and healthy will bode well for us at the World Cup.”
Going a goal down at the start of the second half when Docherty’s effort corkscrewed through the sky to nestle into Arnold’s top corner, Australia remained vigilant, and despite the youth and/or inexperience of some of those on the pitch, stuck to their task.
Another A-League success story, Cortnee Vine, could have grabbed an instant equaliser, but her shot could only cannon off the underside of the bar and arc out of danger. Fowler was next to hit the woodwork as the Matildas searched for parity with Alex Chidiac next to come close for the hosts, the midfielder wasting little time after her second-half introduction.
Ultimately coming up short in front of goal with Sam Kerr and Melbourne City‘s Holly McNamara left on the bench for the duration, the theme has remained the same for the Matildas: the importance is on staying true to the identity of the team and searching for that elusive 90-minute performance while staying mindful of not pushing players such as Kerr too far with the increased loading she’s had in the past few months.
Although the focus will quickly shift to England on Tuesday, things are continuing to firm up ahead of the World Cup.
