Windsor & Eton Women v AFC Reading Ladies
TVCWFL Division Three South
Another sunny day and a shorter trip, this time to catch up with the title race in the Thames Valley Counties Women’s Football League Division Three South (that’s a mouthful!) On standings before the game these two were heading the league table with Taplow also having an outside chance of joining the party. At the start of play Windsor sat top with a nice eight point lead over AFC Reading with them having a game in hand with not many games left to play.
I’d arrived early after taking the earlier bus thinking there might be delays getting down Ascot High Street with the racing being on, but there were none, and I arrived at the ground an hour and three quarters before kick off time. I found there is a nice little footpath just off of the car park at Stag Meadow, used by dog walkers and cyclists alike, that takes you out into the Crown Estate parkland. A wander around there killed an hour and then it was back to the ground for hunt the team sheets time!
It’s always nice to catch up with people you’ve met on your travels and this was no different, it’s always good to grab quick chats with John Swallow from AFC Reading, catch up with Cathy Corr and it was good to meet and chat with coach Lyndsey Tomlinson (who very kindly bought me a drink so she’s going to get a great write up in every report from now on!) from the Windsor Ladies setup. Team sheet arrangements done it was off to the far side of the ground and ready for the kick off.
The game began with a couple of robust challenges early on and the home side started to get on top early on. The first goal of the game wasn’t long in coming and it came from an AFC Reading free kick just outside the penalty area. The set piece was pinged into the box and cleared with Windsor launching a pacy counter attack. Rebecca Stewart picked up the loose ball and advanced towards halfway before playing a perfectly weighted pass out to Emma Donovan on the right flank. She beat her defender before firing the ball towards the goal, stand-in keeper Hannah Brooks got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out in two attempts. 1-0
Windsor continued to look dangerous going forward with Georgie Hill playing with her back to goal most of the time but able to hold the ball up before feeding it off to runners from midfield. Windsor looked to double their advantage, winning a succession of corners all taken by set piece expert Rachel Wallace. Every one of her corners was delivered into a great area and, from one, Stevie Romney beat the defender to the ball but it was deflected away off the head of her marker and went wide of the far post.
Hill came close after picking up the ball from a Laura Prosser throw. She headed the ball into space on the edge of the box and hit a shot first time which beat Brooks but cannoned back off the crossbar and away.
Windsor extended their lead when a Wallace pass picked out Donovan in the box and she made no mistake, sliding the ball past Brooks. 2-0
The visitors finally started to get a foothold in the game and the pace of their two forwards Katelyn Broadley and Loren Alsford began to cause the home defence a few problems. On one such attack Broadley beat the offside trap, ran into the area but she didn’t hit it cleanly allowing keeper Tabitha Gafencu to gather easily.
Gafencu was called into action again soon after, Alsford nicking the ball off a defender’s foot and racing into the area. She hit a fierce first time shot but a strong hand from Gafencu was enough to knock it around the post. Next Reading won a free kick wide right which was swung into the six yard box by Poppy Dearlove and just the barest of touches from Gafencu was enough to take the ball away from Alsford arriving at the far post.
Windsor struck back, Donovan picking up a throw and dummying the defender to create space but she miss-hit her shot this time and dragged it wide of the post. They followed this up with a nice move through the middle, Donovan passing to Hill in the box with her back to goal, she played it into the path of Lauren Fallon who hit it well but just over the bar.
Another super delivery from a Wallace corner was met again by Romney running in, this time she got too good a contact and it flew over the bar.
The final chance in a breathless first half came from another quick break from the visitors. Dearlove running on to a ball over the top and tried to slide the ball across Gafencu into the far corner but it drifted just wide.
H-T: Windsor & Eton 2 AFC Reading 0
Windsor again started quickly and another quality Wallace corner found Hill in space on the edge of the six yard box who met it well and her header crashed back off the crossbar and away to safety. Another chance came and went when Romney found Hill and her knock back to Holly Gilder was fired just over the bar.
Windsor hit the crossbar for the third time in the match when Romney fired in a great effort from 20 yards out which beat Brooks but left the bar rattling. The hosts finally scored their third soon after and it was Donovan again, this time she picked up the ball and spun her defender before firing into the bottom left corner. 3-0
The home side were still hunting more and a Wallace free kick from inside their own half picked out the run of Donovan but Brooks had anticipated and came out quickly to block well.
As with the first half, AFC Reading started to have more possession after the first twenty minutes. Following a water break, Broadley again beating the offside trap ran into the box and saw her strike hit the base of the post and bounce away with Gafencu beaten.
A Romney pass picked out Donovan again at the other end, she ran into the area and could have played it on one more to Wallace who was all alone to her right but, decided like all strikers do, to shoot when they have a clear sight of goal, she scuffed her shot which gave Brooks the chance to clear. Romney picked up the clearance and tried to lob the goalkeeper but her strike was just too high.
A long ball over the Windsor defence left Alsford and Gafencu in a foot race to reach the ball, Alsford won the race and was clipped by the keeper but just managed to keep her balance to slide the ball into the empty net. 3-1
Soon after the visitors had a chance to reduce the arrears further, Alsford again with the chance but Gafencu had her angles worked out well and managed to block her shot.
The last few minutes were played out mainly in midfield although Windsor did force another couple of corners but they came to nothing. An entertaining game between two very good sides and with a very chatty ref!
F-T: Windsor & Eton 3 AFC Reading 1
This result gives Windsor an eleven point lead at the top of the table and, with news filtering through of Taplow losing at home to Berks County, means they now only need two points to claim the title in their first season. This will be an incredible achievement for a brand new team and congratulations to all the players, coaching and management staff there.
Stand out players for me today, obviously Emma Donovan for her hat-trick and she looked dangerous all game (that’s the second time I’ve seen her play and she’s netted three goals both games). Rachel Wallace is quality from a dead ball situation, she made so many chances today with her pinpoint delivery and added to that she has one hell of an engine, running up and down the right all game and on both sides for corners and free kicks. Holly Gilder also impressed in this game. She always looked to have time on the ball, wins a high percentage of tackles both in defence and midfield (and loves a slide tackle!), and always looks to play the simple pass.
AFC Reading were missing their top goalscorer and first choice goalkeeper but showed what a good team they are. They are a young side so should only get better from here on. It’s been a good season for both sides with the promise of more to come so I look forward to seeing both sides again next season!