Eversley & California Ladies 0 Woodley United Ladies 1
Sunday 4th September 2022
Southern Region Women’s Football League Division One North

On a breezy afternoon where the threat of rain was always in the air, I arrived at Fox Lane for the opening weekend of the Southern Region Women’s Football League season. A decent size crowd was in attendance for the season opener between two sides based just eight miles apart.

The first action came in the 4th minute when May Hamblin made a good run down the left wing and got a shot away but the ball rebounded to safety off the Eversley keepers’ legs. Hamblin again got free a couple of minutes later but her shot was blocked away for a corner. The first kick was cleared but went straight back to Ellen Surtees and she crossed into a dangerous area but Teri Harfield-Brown claimed the ball well. Maddie Carter had the next chance for Woodley as they probed away to find an opening goal but the Eversley number three Ella Chandler blocked well. The corner was again swung into a good area and Harfield-Brown did very well to claw the ball away from underneath the crossbar.

At this point Woodley were on top but both teams were having trouble with the pace of the pitch, often overhitting passes and trying to force the game too much. A mistake from the Woodley goalkeeper nearly gifted Eversley a goal with their first real chance of the half, Heine passed the ball straight to an Eversley forward just outside the area but her shot trickled agonisingly wide.

Woodley were still very much on top but Eversley looked dangerous on the break. Their pacy right winger Rebekah Pantony had a good run and played a great ball across the six yard box but it just evaded the striker and was cleared to safety. Woodley hit back and a fantastic diagonal ball was controlled brilliantly by Maddie Sawyer but her effort just drifted past the post. A good half first full of endeavour and with some decent football coming from both sides ended goalless.
Eversley & California 0 Woodley United 0.

The second half kicked off and soon more good work down the Eversley right ended with a decent a left foot shot from Pantony which was well saved by Heine low down to her right. Woodley had the next chance when another dangerous corner was headed just over the bar. A great run from Hamblin was spotted by the impressive Sawyer, she played it perfectly into Hamblin’s path and she took it past two defenders before shooting but she just couldn’t get enough curl on the ball to trouble the keeper. Another corner was swung in towards Gooch who met the ball well but the effort was blocked.

Hamblin was again involved when she received a nice through pass on the wing and she managed a decent cut-back but Harfield-Brown again managed to get a strong hand to it and the ball was cleared. Woodley finally managed to break through in the 70th minute and it was a cracker! Maddie Sawyer and Michelle Quinn played a lovely one two and a great ball from the latter set Hamblin free and she fired home into the far right corner of the net. 0-1.

Eversley tried in vain to get back into it, the best chance came when again the impressive right winger Pantony ran at the Woodley defence and played another enticing ball across the six yard box but again it evaded the onrushing forwards. Surtees set up another chance for the player of the match (in my opinion) May Hamblin but her shot was again well saved by Harfield-Brown in the Eversley goal.
F-T: Eversley & California 0 Woodley United 1.

A great display of football considering it was the first game and Woodley deserved the three points. Eversley for their part battled really well despite being short of numbers and having several youngsters making their first appearances. I think there’s definitely a lot more to come from both of these sides this season and I look forward to seeing them in action again soon. For Eversley I was impressed with Pantony and Ella Chandler who made some important blocks. I was also very impressed with today’s referee Anne-Marie Godfrey. She let the game flow well and even managed to penalise a foul throw which I’ve not seen any referee further up the leagues do this season! A very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Ascot United Women 0 Maidenhead United Women 3
Sunday 18th September 2022
Berks & Bucks Senior Cup 1st Round

This was set up to be an interesting match-up with Maidenhead being two divisions higher than Ascot in the pyramid but with the Magpies suffering from a stop start pre-season, it promised to be an intriguing tie. Before the game we had an immaculately observed minutes silence to allow everyone in the Racecourse ground to pay their respects to HRH Queen Elizabeth II for her life and years of selfless service to the country.

It started as a tight cagey affair, both sides playing some nice football and posing questions but a lack of cutting edge meant neither side troubled the respective goalkeepers. The first real chance of note brought the opening goal. A quick throw on the left hand side saw Simone O’Brien go clear and her first time shot from just inside the box took a little deflection past the helpless Phillips in the Ascot goal. 0-1.

Ascot were nearly caught out as Maidenhead played a high press and Roche nearly had the ball stolen from her but she did well to recover. Ascot pushed back looking for a leveller and the pacy Leonard twice got away into space but on both occasions the final ball was lacking. Maidenhead came back and again O’Brien latched onto a decent ball through and broke clear into the box only for Phillips to make a smart save. Carrington for Ascot was finding a bit of space on the right and she played a nice diagonal ball into the area which was intercepted well by Harvey in the Maidenhead goal.

Ascot were now enjoying a decent spell and a dangerous Sarah Davern corner caused confusion in the Maidenhead box before rebounding off Harvey and out for another corner which was well defended. Maidenhead tried to reassert control and did exactly that after a period of possession. On 35 minutes, a lovely ball threaded through by Tina Brett found Megan Halfacree in the box and she picked her spot and finished with aplomb. 0-2.

On 40 minutes some nice link up play between Leonard and Carrington set the latter free inside the area and her well hit shot flew just past the near post and into the side netting. Another deep corner from Davern found the head of Luckhurst-McCord but her header looped over the bar. The Magpies, playing some lovely one touch football, were thwarted twice when making breaks down the right by some last ditch defending. An entertaining and end to end half finished with Maidenhead on top, with Brett and O’Brien combining well throughout, although Ascot still looked dangerous on the break with the pace of Leonard and Carrington.

H-T: Ascot United 0 Maidenhead United 2.

The second half started with Maidenhead looking to keep the ball and control the game. They could and probably should have put the game to bed after a mix-up in the Ascot defence lead to the ball falling kindly for Sarah Thompson who put her shot just over. On 65 minutes the Magpies did get a third but only after a fright. Ascot claimed a penalty after Leonard went down in the box, perhaps,a little theatrically, and the referee waved play on. On the break, a great run and cross from the substitute Eva Thomas found its way to the near post where Vicky Carvill nipped in front of the keeper and pulled it back to Nat Cowell who made no mistake from just inside the area. 0-3.

Nicole Brown who had come on as a substitute on the hour mark for Ascot looked impressive, winning the ball back several times in important areas and it was she who had probably Ascot’s best effort of the game on 78 minutes. Brown picked up a loose ball, ran towards the area and unleashed a cracking drive which forced Harvey into a full length diving save, Skinner picked up the rebound and under pressure got a shot off which cannoned off the post.

Substitutes Thomas and Cowell both looked to run at a tiring Ascot defence and made a couple of chances but neither worried Phillips in the Yellas goal. The Magpies were good value for the result, their passing game was suited by the pitch, the defence rock solid and their high pressing game always had Ascot on the back foot. The main difference I saw between the two teams was Maidenhead were clinical when they had clear chances. My player of the match was the impressive Sarah Thompson for Maidenhead, solid in defence, never stopped talking and encouraging her teammates and made some great attacking runs and passes. Ascot for their part can take heart in the performance against their near neighbours from two divisions higher in the pyramid. There were good performances all over the pitch, their heads never went down when behind and they look a good team so should have a successful season.
F-T: Ascot United 0 Maidenhead United 3.

Woodley United Ladies 2 Long Crendon Ladies 0
Sunday 25th September 2022
Berks & Bucks Senior Cup 1st Round

Sunday for me means a chance to get my fix of local women’s football and this week I made the journey to the Bulmershe Pavilion to catch up with Woodley United Ladies. Sunny spells had fooled me into going to the game in just a polo shirt and with a noticeable autumn nip in the air it was definitely a schoolboy error on my part. It was a good job a hot cup of tea was available!

Onto the game, Long Crendon came out of the blocks quickly and forced a couple of corners early on although both came to nothing. The first ten evened out and the game became a hard fought battle with both sides pressing well and not giving each other any space forcing quite a few errors from both. Woodley looked to take the initiative after 15 minutes, a forceful run past three Long Crendon players from Mollie Haines led to her feeding Sarah Lawrence, she was crowded out but the ball ran into the path of Steph Slann whose effort went over the bar.

Long Crendon responded and had a shout for a penalty waved away by the referee after Kirsty Walker had worked hard to close down the Woodley defender, nicked the ball away and went down under a challenge. Woodley had the next chance when Sarah Lawrence played in May Hamblin but she snatched at the effort and it sailed wide. There followed a break in the game as Long Crendon attempted to make a rolling substitution which it seems, after the referee had consulted with the rule book, are not allowed in this cup competition.

After the restart Woodley began exerting a little pressure, Maddie Sawyer swung in an excellent deep corner which was met well by Gemma Sims and her header was stopped on the line by a combination of a defender and the goalkeeper. A quick break and a snap shot by Hamblin had Amy Whale in the Crendon goal scrambling to make a save to her left. Hamblin was in action again soon after, again linking up well with Lawrence and the latters run into the area and shot was again well saved by Whale.

Woodley were piling on the pressure and the breakthrough finally came when the impressive Hamblin latched onto a loose ball 30 yards out and, with still a lot to do, knocked the ball past a couple of defenders before lashing home a shot from just inside the area. 1-0. That was the last action from the first half and Woodley took a deserved lead into the break after creating more chances than their opponents.
H-T: Woodley United 1 Long Crendon 0.

The first action in the second half came as a result of an early free kick for Woodley. The free kick from the left caused confusion in the area which Whale couldn’t collect and a hurried shot from Slann again went over the top. Woodley had started the half well but Long Crendon started coming back into it with Michelle Bailey pulling the strings and Rachael Knight looking dangerous down the right hand side.

Woodley stepped up the pace again when a free kick from wide left by Ellen Surtees flicked off a defender, Whale managed to parry the ball away but it fell kindly to Lawrence but her shot was well blocked. Soon after May Hamblin pressed well winning the ball and a corner which was cleared well by Long Crendon. Nice play down the left hand side again led to Woodley’s second when Ellen Surtees launched a cross/shot towards the Crendon goal and it sailed over Whale into the top right hand side of the net. 2-0.

Woodley looked to see out the game and it got a little scrappy. In the closing moments Long Crendon had two chances. Woodley conceded a free kick 25 yards out which Michelle Bailey took and produced a stunning strike that cannoned off the bar and out to safety. The second was a purely opportunistic effort from Emilie Lovelock. She picked up a bouncing ball and tried an audacious lob from 35 yards out which just went over the bar with Heine beaten.

Soon after the referee brought this hard fought encounter to a close.

F-T: Woodley United 2 Long Crendon 0.

This certainly wasn’t a classic, the hard bobbly surface made the pitch difficult to play on for both sides. The players seemed to find it hard to find any time or space on the ball and this meant there were quite a few misplaced passes from both sides. That being said Woodley deserved the win and will be happy with a clean sheet and to have found a way to get through to the next round without playing at their best. A shout out too for Gemma Sims and Charley Evans, both were assured and showed their quality in this game marshalling the Woodley defence really well.

Long Crendon look a tough side to beat and with a little more goal threat could be a very good side. Another enjoyable afternoon albeit a bit fresher than I thought and I look forward to returning to Bulmershe to catch up with the Woodley set-up again soon.