Having been well beaten by the same Maidenhead side the week before in the FA Cup, Newbury were able to welcome a couple of key players back into their starting line-up. They were determined to give a better account of themselves this week.

Although Newbury kicked off the match, it was Maidenhead who took the most of the early possession, with much of the play in the Newbury half. They forced two early corners, which the Newbury defence dealt with and then Sam Atkins broke through midfield for Newbury and fed the ball to striker, Ruby Oliver. She in turn linked up superbly with Rachel Panting, receiving a return pass and firing in a low shot that the Maidenhead keeper pushed away for a corner.

This gave Newbury their second goal scoring chance, when the corner fell inside the 6 yard box to Sophie Self, but her shot was blocked by a Maidenhead defender and then Oliver’s follow up effort was well saved by the keeper. After just the opening ten minutes, the match was developing into a very fast paced end to end Cup-tie, with good chances for both sides.

Newbury goalkeeper, Chloe Hunt, was then called into action after the next Maidenhead break and she saved well to put a long range shot over the bar. Maidenhead kept the ball in the final third from the corner and they forced an error from Newbury, after full back, Lorna Parr, was adjudged to have handled in the box. A penalty was awarded, which was coolly dispatched to give the visitors a one nil lead after 11 minutes.

Just a couple of minutes after the re-start and Newbury created their best passage of play so far, with shots for Panting, Oliver and Kirsty Parfett, who had advanced from midfield to latch onto a poor touch from a Maidenhead defender. All three efforts were wide of the target however, but it was now Newbury who were starting to dominate, with Parfett and Panting beginning to pull the strings in midfield. These two players again combined to set up another shooting chance for Oliver, but the score-line remained the same, with Newbury trailing.

Then a key moment came in the 22nd minute when Panting tore into the penalty area from the right. As she evaded the despairing challenge of the Maidenhead full back, Panting’s shirt was clearly pulled back by the defender, but the Referee did not see it. The foul was well inside the box and Newbury were denied an obvious penalty claim. This was harsh on Newbury, as they had been creating enough pressure to get back on level terms.

Another great scoring chance for Newbury came after a corner, when the ball was only half cleared and Parfett fired a half volley back in from the edge of the box, which was agonisingly deflected by a defender for another Newbury corner. It was now all Newbury pressure, but they just couldn’t find the breakthrough.

Then on the half hour, Maidenhead were able to break and they had the ball in the back of the Newbury net, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. Newbury still pressed forward and they were playing the better passing football. Another great opportunity presented itself to captain, Leanne Creese, when she latched onto a loose ball in the final third, after good work from Oliver. Creese’s pace took her beyond the defence and she was one-on-one with the Maidenhead keeper. Unfortunately, one poor touch as she closed in on goal, took the ball ahead of her and allowed the keeper to save at her feet.

As half time approached, Newbury were notching up goal attempt after goal attempt, but they were still on the wrong side of a single goal deficit. Unable to convert any of their scoring chances, Newbury were still a goal behind as the half time whistle blew.

The second half got underway with a change in personnel up front for Maidenhead and a re-shuffle in their midfield, although they showed no signs of letting this disrupt them and went on the attack straight away. They had a penalty appeal turned away on 51 minutes, but the Newbury defence was holding firm, with superb performances from Sophie Self, Gemma Povey and Lorna Parr.

Newbury introduced Caroline Harkness on 56 minutes, with Sam McConnon replaced and the contest was still very finely balanced. The match continued to be end to end and the next goal would surely prove to be crucial. Having played her heart out, Oliver was withdrawn on 69 minutes, with Gemma Burnett her direct replacement in attack for Newbury.

As the game entered its final phase, Newbury knew that if they could score one goal, it would be enough to take the tie into extra time. But unfortunately in the 82nd minute, Maidenhead broke quickly, with Newbury’s defence exposed and they converted well to score the all-important second goal. There would be no way back for Newbury, despite all of their hard work and creativity. This week, they more than matched their higher placed opponents for much of the encounter and they certainly weren’t out played or disgraced.

In a further cruel twist of fate against this Maidenhead side, the Referee stopped the play in the 88th minute when Newbury had possession, as a Maidenhead midfielder lay on the floor injured. To re-start the play, the Referee requested for there to be an uncontested drop ball and asked a Maidenhead player to kick the ball back from just inside her own half to Chloe Hunt in the Newbury goal. Instead of lightly rolling the ball back, it can only be said that the Maidenhead player took a shot at goal. What is less certain, is whether she did so intentionally or not. The long range effort bounced awkwardly just in front of Hunt and then kicked up high above the keeper’s head. Hunt reacted superbly to get her finger tips to the ball and push it up onto the cross bar. But instead of the ball going over the bar to safety, it came back down behind Hunt and fell agonisingly over the goal-line.

This gave Maidenhead a 3 nil lead, but it was a score-line that definitely flattered them. As the Referee blew for full time, it had been a much improved performance from Newbury and they could take great heart from the display. But it is Maidenhead who now go forward into Round 2 of the League Cup, with a passage into the Plate competition the only consolation for Newbury.

Match Report by Sue Hewett