Wandsworth Borough 0-3 Kingstonian Ladies
After last week’s amazing come-back, you could feel the confidence surging through the squad. This was reflected in availability. For only the second time this season, we had two subs today with welcome returns to the squad for Zoe McLaughlin, Emily Hobern and Lisa Nichols.
It didn’t take long before we had our noses in front. In only the second minute, a training ground corner routine worked perfectly and Olivia Watson smashed the ball home. 0-1.
We bossed the rest of this half with Wandsworth rarely threatening our goal, but the strong wind blowing from touchline to touchline meant that play got rather condensed on one side of the pitch and we struggled to break out of the crowded traffic to convert our territorial advantage into goals. However, finally in the 37th minute Olivia Watson won the ball on the right flank and ran around the Wandsworth defence in her inimitable faster-than-lightning style before smashing the ball in to the far corner of the net. HT 0-2.
The second half continued in the same vein as the first with Kingstonian dominating possession and territory. Our back three of Chelsea Woods, Zoe McLaughlin and Lucy Potter weren’t giving Wandsworth much of a look in and Lily Dusting in goal was able to enjoy her birthday without being seriously troubled. In midfield, Mairead Halliday was bossing the show as usual with her control and range of passing, supported by the hard-working Lace Edgcombe, Lisa Nichols and Emily Hobern. Olivia Watson and Sarah Sinkins were breaking forward to give us extra bodies in attack, while up-front Sophia Demetriou, Ellie Bland and Patti Panok were tying the Wandsworth defence up with their running and harrying.
We were creating chance after chance, but the Wandsworth goalkeeper did well on several occasions to keep us at bay, and we had several shots and headers narrowly just over or just wide and two or three driven cross-shots that literally ran along the goal line crying out for someone to prod the ball in to the goal.. We were always aware that if Wandsworth could nick a goal they might make life difficult for us in the latter stages of the game. However, it was effectively game over when, in the 70th minute, and ironically only seconds after our manager Stef Loucaides had asked her to drop deeper, when Sarah Sinkins made a surging run forward with the ball culminating with her lofting the ball beautifully over the goalkeeper’s head. FT 0-3.
For the first time this season we can claim back-to-back wins and today’s result lifts us back up into the top half of the table at the mid-point of the season. We have some tough games to come in the second section of the season, but spirits are high and we are positive about our prospects.
Team: Lily Dusting, Chelsea-Ann Woods, Zoe McLaughlin, Lucy Potter (c), Lace Edgcombe, Mairead Halliday, Emily Hobern, Olivia Watson, Sarah Sinkins, Sophia Demetriou, Ellie Bland
Subs: Lisa Nichols, Patti Panok
Goalscorers: Olivia Watson (2), Sarah Sinkins
Player of the match: Lucy Potter (pictured)
