Ascot United Women v Queens Park Rangers Women

Report

ASCOT WOMEN ROMP TO QPR CUP WIN

 

Yellawomen in seventh heaven

 

Substitute Beth Lloyd scored a second-half hat-trick as Ascot United Women beat Queens Park Rangers Women 7-1 in the Combined Counties League Cup on Wednesday evening. On a miserable evening at The Racecourse, the hosts were in total control against their higher-ranked opponents, playing some good football en-route to victory.

 

Rare night under the lights for Yellawomen

Southern Region Women’s Football League side Ascot were playing in the Combined Counties League Cup by virtue of the club’s affiliation to the latter, and their first outing in the competition pitched them against step-four Rangers, themselves of the Women’s National League Division One South East.

 

Ascot’s only defeats of the season had come against step-six Brentford and Newport Pagnell, but this outing would test their mettle against a side mid-table in their league; one level above The Yellawomen.

 

Decent first half; Phil is harmonic

Despite the miserable conditions, the home side played some good one-touch football in the first half, although their opponents were guilty of surrendering possession multiple times when attempting to play out from the back.

 

Phil Holden was repeatedly in the mix – stinging the visiting ‘keeper Pia Albert’s palms early-on before lashing home in the sixth minute to give Ascot the lead; Liv Glover providing the assist on the left.

 

But Rangers would level proceedings just three minutes later on an occasion when they did successfully break from near their own corner flag; stand-out player Alice Curr racing clear and evading Georgia Luckhurst-McCord before confidently stroking past Jodie Gray-Piazza.

 

Holden was twice denied in the fourteenth minute, and her deflected effort five minutes before the break could have gone anywhere other than bounce agonisingly wide, but she would not add to her own personal tally before the sides changed ends.

 

However, Alix Todd had earlier restored Ascot’s lead with a well-placed direct free-kick around the wall and into the left-hand corner in the sixteenth minute.

 

Ascot’s best move of the half threatened a third goal in the 22^nd minute when Erin Huntley picked out Leah Littlechild down the wing, Littlechild cut the ball inside for Leah Robertson, who saw her shot saved at the near post.

 

Five-star second half as Lloyd’s just the trick

Ava Lee-Walsh might have done better for the visitors early-on when she fired a decent chance over the bar when Rangers might have levelled matters once again, but they were up against it in the 53^rd minute when Albert saved well from Robertson only to lose her grip on the ball as she fell, affording Lloyd the easiest of tap-ins.

 

Rangers continued to make chances and both Brianna Gilbert-Lawal and substitute Aya El-Berlivi were guilty of squandering theirs before the hour mark, but after that it was all one-way traffic.

 

Leah Robertson raced clear and rounded Albert only to lose her balance under a heavy challenge, but in the afters Littlechild threaded in Lloyd, who beat Albert with a low, first-time effort into the bottom left to make it 4-1.

 

Littlechild then got on the scoresheet with an effort that squirmed under Albert to make it 5-1 in the 78^th minute, before forcing an 81^st minute corner that Danielle Kjaer planted onto the head of Luckhurst-McCord to make it six.

 

Substitute Katie Vince’s late tenacity – winning the ball back near the corner flag in injury time – then paved the way for Lloyd to complete her treble as she smashed Vince’s delivery into the roof of the net to complete the rout.

 

What’s next for Ascot?

The cup trail continues this Sunday with the visit of Slough Town Ladies in the league cup – the Rebels being seventh in the tier below Ascot – a league where Ascot United’s Reserve side top the table and also beat them 3-0 when they met in September!

 

Ascot United: Gray-Piazza, Luckhurst-McCord, Todd, Torry, Drage, M. Robertson, Huntley, Holden, L. Robertson, Littlechild, Glover. Subs (all used): Vince, Perkins, Knight, Kjaer, Lloyd

 

Entertainment: 4

Reporter’s Star Player: Beth Lloyd (Ascot United)

Attendance (estimate): 80

Scorers: AUFC – Lloyd (3), Holden, Littlechild, Luckhurst-McCord, Todd. QPR – Curr