Shooting opportunities for Newbury came the way of Oliver and Ellie Reed, with the first effort fired across the goal and the second shot saved. Then Newbury found the breakthrough in the 13th minute, with Panting feeding the ball to Creese on the right. She was well challenged by the Southampton defender, but was still able to wriggle past the full back and cut inside her. From a narrow angle she sent in a high shot back across the goal and although the Southampton keeper managed to get a hand to it, it wasn’t enough to keep the ball out of the net. One nil to Newbury.

The home side were now playing by far the better football, with the Southampton players almost completely camped inside their own half, such was the Newbury pressure. Further chances came to extend the Newbury lead, with Beesley, Panting, Creese and Oliver all going close. But it remained one nil to Newbury at the half time break.

After the re-start, Newbury had to dispel one early Southampton attack, but then they immediately launched a counter through Beesley, who stormed down the left flank and into Southampton’s final third. She left a defender trailing in her wake, before sliding the ball into the penalty area, where Oliver was waiting for Newbury. She showed ice-cool composure, keeping the ball under control as the keeper dived at her feet. She then calmly dribbled round the keeper and fired into an empty net from 6 yards for two nil.

Newbury went three nil up after 52 minutes, from an excellent move which was started by Leanne Saunders inside her own half. She played a lovely ball forwards to Creese, who found a cross from the right that was pulled back into the path of Reed. She had timed her run from deep to perfection, meeting the ball first time on the edge of the area and saw her shot thunder into the net for Newbury’s third goal of the afternoon.

The contest was well and truly over just three minutes later, when Panting won the ball again for Newbury in a central position. Quickly breaking clear of her marker, she looked up and played a diagonal ball into the path of Beesley. As she collected the ball 20 yards out, she still had a lot of work to do, but she stole into the area and ruthlessly dispatched a shot into the roof of the net, which gave the keeper no chance. Four nil now the score-line.

Both Laura Ainscough and Gemma Burnett were introduced from the bench for Newbury on 56 and 73 minutes respectively. But in between both substitutes being brought on, there had been a few moments of controversy, although Newbury were not thrown out of their stride. Southampton’s number 9 had raced clear of the Newbury defence for a one-on-one chance, but she was to be thwarted in her efforts by Hunt coming quickly out of her area. Play was stopped and with the Assistant Referee flagging for offside, both sets of players waited for the Referee’s decision, whilst the Southampton player received treatment following Hunt’s challenge. To everyone’s bewilderment, the Referee pointed to the spot and awarded the visitors a penalty kick. The debate continued on several counts. Firstly, had the Southampton striker been offside? Was the challenge of the Newbury goalkeeper on her a foul? If it was a foul, had the offence taken place inside the area? It mattered not, as the penalty had been given and the Saints skipper duly dispatched the kick to give her side a consolation goal on 67 minutes.

Whilst a clean sheet had now been denied to Newbury, the rhythm of the match remained unchanged however, with Newbury continuing to attack and looking to unlock the Southampton defence time and time again. They converted their fifth goal of the day on 83 minutes, as Panting was found in space on the right. Her cross was met on the volley at the near post by Burnett, who turned the ball into the net expertly with a first time finish.

The match finished in a very well-deserved 5-1 home victory, as Newbury extended their winning run to 6 games, as well as extending their lead at the top of the Southern Region Women’s Division One table. They sit on 26 points, above both teams from the Milton Keynes area, who lie in second and third positions. Stony Stratford are just 4 points behind Newbury Ladies and MK City are currently 5 points adrift. There will surely be plenty more twists and turns to come as the title race hots up in the New Year. Newbury Ladies FC now go into a two week festive break, returning to league action in the New Year when they will travel to Ascot United Ladies on Sunday 5th January, 2pm kick-off.

Match report by Sue Hewett.