AFC Newbury Ladies Football
Match Report -- Season 2004-5
Thames Valley Counties Women's League Division 1
20th March 2005
AFC Newbury 13 Wycombe Wanderers Reserves 0
With 2 games to play in the league Newbury were leading the table from second placed team Denham Youth on goal difference of +4 in favour of Newbury. Both teams have to play bottom placed Wycombe Wanderers in their penultimate games prior to their final games on the 10th April. With Newbury having to play Wycombe first it was important to get a good victory to maintain the goal difference.

Newbury made good progress throughout the first half with 2 goals from Sam Sowerby, with Kendall Gilmour and Caz Harkness each getting a goal. The Wycombe keeper was having a mixed game saving well and courageously on a number of occassions then letting a couple of shots through her grasp from Sam and Caz. The first half ended a creditable 4-0 in favour of Newbury.

The second half opened with an incredible burst of goals, Sam scoring 2 and Leanne Creese 1 within three minutes of the start of the half. Late comers from the halftime bar missed all three goals. Sam's 3rd and 4th goals were identical being touched on by Kendall. Sam beat a static defence and only had to beat the keeper which she did with well taken low shots. Leanne scored her goal when Caz crossed from the right behind the defence leaving Leanne to beat the dispairing keeper. Sam could have had another but instead of keeping the ball low somehow managed to shoot over the bar having beaten the keeper to her right. The next was an excellent goal. Starting from a lateral pass from Hannah Burgess to Kelly Doe, playing in a slightly different role as the right of 3 centre backs, on to Caz, also playing in a different position on the right hand side of midfield, forward to Leanne to cross to Kendall who made no mistake in beating the keeper. Chelsea Starbuck then shot just wide from a break down the left. Minutes later Sam scored her 5th when Kendall again put her through the middle.

The shots and the goals kept coming. Kelly again put Leanne away down the right wing to cross to Kendall for her hat trick, then Sam scored her 6th after breaking down the left. Minutes later Emma Theochari, playing on the left side of midfield, broke down the left and was unlucky not to score when the keeper saved low to her right. Following a save from a Kendall shot Leanne and Kendall both pounced on the rebound and Leanne got the final touch for her second, leaving Kendall to finish the game with her 4th. The game was also notable for Sian Makepeace's debut as substitute and Sue Hewett completing an excellent full 90 minutes in midfield.

This result takes the goal difference advantage over Denham to +17. Denham play away to Wycombe on the 3rd April.

Players: Chloe Hunt, Kelly Doe (sub Sian Makepeace 85 mins), Gemma Povey (capt), Hannah Burgess, Caz Harkness (sub Lorna Parr 69 mins), Sue Hewett, Chelsea Starbuck, Leanne Creese, Emma Theochari, Kendall Gilmour, Sam Sowerby (sub Kerriann Benson 78 mins).
Referee: C. Fenwick
Goal scorers
Sam Sowerby
(10, 40, 46, 47, 58, 73)
Kendall Gilmour
(20, 54, 71, 88)
Caz Harkness (30)
Leanne Creese (48, 79)
Player of the match
Chelsea Starbuck
Next fixture
10th April 2005
Mansfield Road Ladies
at Mansfield Road, Oxford