Yellawomen beaten 2-0 in dour display
Ascot United Women are still searching for their first league win since late September after a disappointing home reverse against Abingdon United. In a poor display, the home side rarely threatened except for a brief spell early in the second half, and Abingdon – themselves underwhelming – left with all three points.
Yellawomen back in action after three-week rest
After a blank Sunday and a postponement, this was the first outing for Andy Cox’s side since their midweek County Cup win at New Bradwell St Peter 19 days earlier. Visitors Abingdon will be their semi-final opponents in that competition, but their penultimate league match before the Christmas break was all about taking much needed league points and improve their one-point-per-game average so far this season.
Abingdon score early in woeful first half
The opening 45 minutes were a forgettable affair for the yellow camp, and they would fall behind in the fifth minute when Holly Sellwood had a clear sight of goal in a central position and curled a fine effort past Cherry Preisner and into the top right hand corner.
It should have been 2-0 three minutes later only for Molly Lygo to stab wide when unmarked at the near post.
The hosts failed to create any clear chances and were both wasteful in possession and disjointed at best.
Preisner’s sprawling save in the 42nd minute – getting down low to her right to push Lygo’s shot away after she had latched into Anais Harris-Beechers’ pass – prevented further damage before the interval, which couldn’t come soon enough.
Early signs of promise before hopes extinguished
For a brief spell after the break, the home side looked set to make a breakthrough as Poppy Dearlove’s rasping left-footed effort sailed onto the roof of the net in the 51st minute before Dani Dias’s thumping shot was charged away and Kate Fox hammered the rebound over the bar in a move kickstarted by Hattie Kettle’s cut-back; all of that just one minute later.
But that was as good as it got and Lygo missed an open target after Preisner and Katelyn Wort got in a tangle, and Preisner later did well to claw Mimi Hodges’ fading effort away as it looked destined to curl away from her and into the top right.
Substitute Lauren May’s cross for Sellwood also seemed destined for the net only for a brilliant goal-line block to deny Abingdon a second, but they duly got it in the 83rd minute when May got on the scoresheet from a left-wing corner straight onto Preisner’s goal-line.
High-flying Bristol Rovers are next up at The Racecourse in seven days’ time and that will be a surely even tougher test.
Ascot United: Preisner, Doyle, Cox, Huntley, Wort, Maxted, Dearlove, Fox, Lloyd, Dias, Lane. Subs used: Delaney, Balaam, Goulden, Harney, Kettle. Subs unused: Curr, Luscombe
Entertainment: 1
Reporter’s Star Player: n/a
Attendance (estimate): 55