Yellawomen make it three wins on trot
Ascot United Women made it three wins on the trot with a superb team performance against Marine Academy Plymouth Women on Sunday. The Yellawomen were largely dominant throughout, scoring two sensational goals to push themselves further away from the dreaded drop zone.
Will the London Buses keep on coming?
The previous week had been a good one in the Ascot camp. Before last Sunday, The Yellawomen had only scored in one of their previous seven games, losing five of them. However, six points and nine goals from their next two outings had put a different complexion on the league table, and Plymouth – one point below Ascot with two games in hand – provided the chance to make it an unprecedented three wins on the spin at Step four.
Manager Andy Cox made one change to the starting line-up that beat Worthing on Tuesday evening with Dani Dias in for Jacey Lane; the latter on the bench alongside Sianna Hagerty, who replaced the unwell Mia Delaney in the squad.
Rain, rain thankfully not again – the flags get wet although the pitch does drain!
After Tuesday’s monsoon the home fans were hoping for a somewhat drier affair – and they mostly got it – and it was equally refreshing to finally get a match started against the Devon side; god bless 3G pitches.
In a feisty first-half, the visitors forced a flurry of corners which they failed to capitalise on, although Ascot grew into the game after initially being on the back foot.
Home ‘keeper Cherry Preisner did well to turn Kelsey Blight’s 10th minute free-kick around a post after it had bounced awkwardly in front of her, and Lily Dowling could only plant her header from the resultant corner wide-right of the frame.
Livewire Dias had a good game for Ascot, and she stung Jasmine Read’s palms in the 20th minute before chasing down the loose ball which sadly ended with Lily Hamp suffering a serious-looking ankle injury as both her and Dias came together in a strong challenge; Hamp helped off after a four-minute delay.
But the home side made the breakthrough in the 26th minute. Libby Doyle showed great strength on the right, cut the ball inside to Darcey Maxted outside the penalty area, and she fired a dipping effort from 25 yards that sailed over Read and into the top right hand corner.
Preisner was alert to keep out another free kick from Blight who had cheekily gone straight for the near post with a free kick wide out on the left, but Poppy Dearlove almost gave Ascot a 2-0 cushion at the interval when her looping left-footed effort bounced onto the top left of the crossbar and over as the clocked ticked past 45 minutes.
Ole Anais and ‘bom trabalho’ Dani; positivity is key
The home side were in control in the second half and played some fantastic football, which led to an early reward as they scored a second goal three minutes after the restart.
Portuguese predator Dias was a constant menace up front, and her partnership with stand-out player Anais Harney up-top is flourishing, but Dias’s pressure forced the corner that led to the crucial second. Dearlove would step up to take it – dangerously delivered into the six-yard box – and defender Erin Huntley bundled the ball home, albeit somewhat obliviously, to make it 2-0.
At the other end, Doyle’s brilliant tackle denied Ellie Bishop who had raced goal-side in the 54th minute; any mis-timing would have surely led to a penalty for Plymouth.
Hattie Kettle would enter the sin-bin for ten minutes following dissent, but Ascot remained comfortable with ten players and even Doyle got in on the act when she raced clear and rasped a shot across Read but wide of the left.
But the third goal came in the 76th minute, and it was a cracker. Doyle was involved again to get the move started, Harney laid the ball off to substitute Jacey Lane with a delicate first-time pass, Lane cut the ball back to Harney, and she repeated her midweek trick by sweeping home first time across Read and into the left.
Harney was, at times, unplayable, with stellar hold-up play and vision that propelled her to the home ultras’ player-of-the-match award.
Just before her exit for Mae Goulden, Maxted tried her luck with another long-range effort that flew just over – Ellie Luscombe this time the provider – and there would be debuts for Zoe Ayres and Sianna Hegarty who slotted in seamlessly.
Any win is a good win, but this was a good, good win. And the margin of victory, including a clean-sheet, pushed Ascot’s goal difference into the black; now plus-one with two of the sides above them still in the red.
As for the run-in, bottom-two sides Portishead and Worthing have played each other twice and will need to upset the form book by beating sides above them to have any chance of survival. Worthing and Ascot – the latter now eleven points above the drop in seventh place – both need to play four of the top-five teams, whereas Portishead arguably have the toughest run in as they still need to play all five of.
But you can only focus on your own game at the end of the day, and discussions can now focus on how high Ascot can finish and let the others fight it out down the wrong end.
The only way is up.
Ascot United: Preisner, Balaam (Luscombe 73’), Cox (Ayres 84’), Huntley, Doyle, Kettle, Dearlove, Maxted, Fox (Hegarty 88’), Harney (Goulden 80’), Dias (Lane 73’). Sub unused: Carter
Entertainment: 5
Reporter’s Star Player: Anais Harney (Ascot United)
Attendance (estimate): 60 (10 away)