Newbury Ladies Football
Match Report -- Season 2011-12
Southern Region Women's Football League Division 1 South
Sunday 22nd January 2012
Newbury Ladies 0 Locks Heath 3
Newbury could not have started any worse, when they found themselves one nil down inside the opening minute of the match. Locks Heath scoring from their first attack, with the Newbury defence asleep.

The shock of conceding so early did jolt Newbury into life and they immediately forced a corner, from which Ellie Reed had a shooting chance that went over the cross bar. Newbury’s second corner came on 10 minutes and Kendall Gilmore met the cross with a well timed header that unfortunately went straight to the Locks Heath keeper, who saved comfortably.

Newbury were now well on top in terms of possession, but were still trailing and a comeback goal was proving elusive, with both Gilmore and Reed unsuccessful with chances from free kicks. Reed had another effort that the visiting keeper saved by diving low to her left and palming around the post. Two further chances went begging for Newbury and then in the 39th minute Locks Heath scored again to take a 2 nil lead at the break.

With the amount of possession that Newbury had been afforded for the majority of the first half, they still believed a comeback was possible, but it was clear that a scoring opportunity would need to be converted in order to get themselves back into the game. Gilmore had dropped deeper in the second period and she played a beautiful cross field pass to pick out Newbury skipper, Leanne Creese, who had cut in from the right and was through on goal. It was a gilt-edged chance, but unfortunately Creese blazed her shot over from just inside the penalty area.

That miss re-energised Locks Heath, who began to press the home side again. One of their attacks provided a controversial moment, when the Referee harshly adjudged that Newbury’s Gemma Povey had fouled the Locks Heath striker inside the area and he awarded a penalty to the visiting side, which was duly converted to make it 3-0 to Locks Heath.

In the last quarter of the game, Newbury still had scoring chances, with another Reed shot hitting the base of the post. Despite their numerous attempts on goal, it just wasn’t Newbury’s day and this defeat was very disappointing and frustrating for all concerned.

Players: Chloe Hunt, Leanne Crease (Capt), Sophie Self, Gemma Povey, Nicole Beesley, Lorna Parr, Naomi Purvis, Lily Chubb, Ellie Reed, Kendall Gilmour, Ruby Oliver.
Referee: Jim Finlay
Goal scorers
Player of the match
Next fixture

Southern Region Premier

League season closed
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