Notts County Ladies have gained international recognition for a clever a free kick routine they pulled off in their 1-1 draw against Arsenal. Laura Bassett stopped her run up to the ball and pretended to argue with teammate Alex Greenwood, creating a diversion so Greenwood could tap a pass to Ellen White, who curled a shot into the back of the net.
It was White’s first Women’s Super League goal for Notts County, but it’s one she’ll probably never repeat since all future opponents will be aware of the team’s tricks. And since a fair amount of work went into perfecting the routine, she finds that a bit annoying. From the BBC:
“Thankfully it came off,” White told BBC Radio Nottingham.
“But now we can never do it again, which is a little annoying.”
The England international continued: “We have been working on things a little bit differently in pre-season. I’m pleased it went in because I’ve skied it over the bar and it has gone wide, but thankfully that one went in.”
Though the fake argument trick has now been done, there are still many other variations that Notts County could try. My suggestion: pretend one player has spontaneously turned into a zombie and begins feasting on a teammate. Using fake blood capsules could really sell this.