Yellawomen win by Skinner their teeth!
Tiff Skinner scored the only goal as Ascot United Women signed off their league programme with a narrow victory over Winchester City Flyers on Sunday afternoon. The Yellawomen were never at their best against an impressive Winchester side, but were able to rotate their squad ahead of their league cup final at the end of next month.
Rock-bottom City belied their lowly league position and might have led early-on only for Lia Francis to fire narrowly wide of the right hand post.
But The Yellawomen would score with their first attack just two minutes later when Skinner latched onto Georgia Luckhurst-McCord’s ball over the top and sat visiting ’keeper Lauren Sayler down with a neat shimmy before rolling the ball into the net (pictured, shooting-stars.co.uk).
Skinner then fired over after Sarah Davern had charged down an attempted clearance, Phillippa Holden fired straight at Sayler from Hayley Cruickshank’s cross and then failed to convert Dom Carrington’s cross at the far post in a flurry of chances for Ascot, but they couldn’t add to their opener.
At the other end, veteran ‘keeper Lisa Phillips rolled back the years with a fine save to keep Jen Trundell’s powerful effort out; 1-0 it remained as the two sides changed ends.
In the second half, the visitors enjoyed all of the chances and might have levelled on three separate occasions. Livewire Shayne Prasad robbed Luckhurst-McCord but could only fire wide just after the hour mark, before Charlie Snelling and Hannah Chalk combined for the latter to drag agonisingly across the six-yard box. However, it was Phillips who ensure The Yellawomen finished with ten wins from their fourteen outings with a brave late save at the feet of Georgia Allen, who was through on goal in the 81st minute.
Darrel Evans’s side will now look to sharpen their pencils before their cup final date with Eastleigh on Sunday 30th April, after recording their highest-ever finish in the Southern Regional Women’s Football League.
Ascot United: Phillips, Luckhurst-McCord, Connor, Bennett, Spark, Todd, Carrington, Holden, Skinner, Cruickshank, Davern. Subs used: Last, Couzens, Brown, Kimble. Sub unused: Killick-Bird
