Solitary goal sinks Ascot
Ascot United Women slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home against Bournemouth Sports on Sunday. In an underwhelming display, Andy Cox’s side rallied late-on and missed a goalden chance to level it, but the effort was too little too late.
As for the first half, rarely will the fans watch a game almost totally devoid of chances. When it came, it almost resulted in a goal for the visitors, except for the frame of the goal.
Napping on their edge of their own final third, the home side gave too much time and space to Maisy Smith. She picked out Liane Folkernstern, Folkernstern teed up Rosie Eden on the left, and her cross-shot beat Cherry Preisner before cannoning back off the crossbar before being cleared.
Ascot’s undoing came barely 20 seconds into the second half and it was all of their own doing. Preisner took one touch too may when attemping to clear, her effort was charged down, and in the afters it was Eden who slotted into an unguarded net.
The visitors rarely threatened again after that, and although Ascot were better, they were still unable to test ‘keeper Jess Vallis.
Half-time substitute Anais Harney’s volley produced an easy save in the 51st minute and Alice Balaam came within inches of stabbing home at the far post from Bella Cox’s corner eight minutes later, but there was just something missing.
When Darcey Maxted’s bullet header fizzed agonsigly wide from Jacey Lane’s cross with seventeen minutes remaining, time was already running out, but they almost nicked something in added time.
Balaam’s effort from another Cox corner was blocked in the first added minute of them, before Harney spurned a golden chance to level it in the fourth when she failed to get over the ball and her volley – unmarked – sailed over the top left following another delivery by Lane.
Smith’s stunning interception from Balaam’s meaningful-looking cross summed-up Sports’s resolve, and it capped a disapointing few days in the yellow camp having gone into Tuesday’s midweek game with a realistic chance of six points in five days, which ultimately only produced one.
Onto the next one, as they say.
Ascot United: Preisner, Curr (Doyle 56′), Cox, Huntley (Kettle 56′), Wort, Maxted, Dearlove (Lane 46′), Fox, Goulden (Luscombe 46′), Delaney (Harney 46′), Balaam. Subs unused: Lloyd, Machado
Entertainment: 1
Reporter’s Star Player: Rosie Eden (Bournemouth Sports)
Attendance (estimate): 80