Deborah Annoh, now a pivotal defender for Berry Ladies FC, stepped onto the pitch with a tumultuous mix of emotions swirling inside her. The match between Berry Ladies Fc and Lady Strikers FC wasn’t just any game for Deborah— the club where her football career had blossomed, the place she called home before her move in the 2023/2024 season. Now, clad in Berry Ladies’ colors, she faced familiar faces she once fought alongside.
Standing on the field during warm-ups, Deborah felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her as she glanced at her former teammates. “It’s surreal,” she admitted and laughed, stretching her calves, her eyes scanning the opponents’ lineup. “I knew their moves, their tricks, and how they think. But that day, they were not my teammates. I had to remember, I’m here to win, no matter the jersey I wear.”
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The whistle blew, snapping Deborah back to the present. As the match kicked off, it was clear she was a central figure in the unfolding drama. The cheers from the stands, a mix of past and present supporters, seemed to energize her with every touch of the ball.
“I felt the pressure, sure,” Deborah said, recounting her experience. “Playing against Lady strikers, there’s always that extra bit to prove—not just to my old team, but to myself. To show I’ve grown, that I made the right decision.”
Throughout the match, Deborah exhibited why Berry Ladies had sought her services. Her defensive maneuvers were sharp, disrupting Lady strikers’ attacks with a practiced ease that spoke of her deep understanding of their strategies. Each block and interception weren’t just a play; it was a statement.
At halftime, walking back to the locker room, she found herself locking eyes with her former coach, a nod of mutual respect passing between them. “It felt like acknowledgment,” she reflected. “Like he was proud of what I’ve become, even if I was now the obstacle.”
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The second half brought more intensity, and Deborah’s role became even more crucial. She found herself marking one of her best friends from her time at Lady strikers, a striker known for her cunning agility. “It was the toughest part,” Deborah confessed. “There’s no room for sentiment on the pitch. I had to guard her tightly, though every fiber in me remembered the days we used to celebrate goals together.”
As the match concluded with a narrow with a draw, Deborah felt a complex blend of triumph and wistfulness. Her decisive clearances had played a key role, and as she shook hands with her former teammates, there was a mixture of warmth and the cold finality of competition.
Post-match, facing the media team of Berry Ladies FC, Deborah summed up her feelings. “It was more than just a game for me. Every moment out there was charged with emotion. I’ve moved on, yes, but part of my heart will always belong to Lady Strikers. Today, however, my job was to defend Berry Ladies, and I did just that.”
Walking away from the pitch, her gaze lingered on the fading figures of her past. “You never really leave a club. You just find new ways to cherish those memories while creating new ones,” she mused, a smile touching her lips as she joined her current teammates, her loyalty, as ever, clear and strong.
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Copyright 2024 Berry Ladies Football Club. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.berryladiesfcgh.com as the source.
