| On the opening day of the league season Newbury Ladies FC travelled to the Oxford University Club, home of Mansfield Road Ladies. The home side kicked off the encounter and looked to assert themselves straight away. In the opening period, Newbury showed good tactical awareness by holding a deep defensive line to counter the pace and threat of the Mansfield forwards. Newbury certainly had to weather an early storm, with Mansfield forcing a number of consecutive corners, from which they looked very dangerous. But somehow, with some desperate defending at times, Newbury’s goal remained intact and the score-line remained goal-less.
As the mid-way point of the first half approached, Newbury’s midfield began to find their feet, with captain, Caz Harkness, as industrious as ever. Kela Gunnlaugsdottir too, was showing plenty of endeavour on the left. Gradually the balance of play shifted, with the visitors creating one or two shooting opportunities of their own. A Bex Walker lay off, from a Leanne Creese cross, was struck really well first time by Maskell, just on the edge of the area. This forced a terrific save from the Mansfield goalkeeper, who needed to be at full stretch down to her left, to parry the ball around the post. Newbury striker, Lou Williamson, somehow fired high from close range, after being alert enough to pounce on a rebound. Ellie Reed also saw an effort from a free kick evade the cross bar.
Newbury would soon rue those missed chances, as on 34 minutes, Mansfield’s number 7 was allowed to stride through midfield unchallenged and shoot from distance. The low, well struck shot, rifled into the bottom corner and gave the home side a one nil lead. It was the first lapse in concentration from Newbury, as they had previously battled very well. Just when it looked as if the half time break would come, with just the one goal dividing the two teams, Mansfield’s number 10 escaped the visiting defence to run clear. Ainscough, in the Newbury goal, came out to challenge and narrow the angle. She was marginally beaten to the ball however and although she tried to pull back, her momentum just saw her clip the Mansfield player inside the area and send her tumbling. The Referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot and the kick was duly converted on the stroke of half time to give the home side a two nil lead.
This was extremely harsh on Newbury, as their earlier good play deserved some reward. Instead, they had a two goal deficit to try to overturn in the second half. Newbury regrouped and showed no sign of the total collapse at the hands of the same opponents last season, when they shipped 9 goals. This time around, the Newbury defence were much more resolute, with Hannah Byrne and Sophie Self both in dominant form. From that strong platform at the back, Newbury fought to build their attacks and tried to find a way to pull a goal back. The first of the two best opportunities fell to Creese, when she tore down the right flank and did well to curl a cross into the box. Agonisingly, the ball hit the top of the bar and went over, when it could easily have gone into the roof of the net.
The second chance came after Williamson had put the Mansfield right back under pressure, winning the ball high up the pitch. With no support, she had no option but to go it alone. However she was very wide in the left hand channel and so had to shoot from a very tight angle. Her shot beat the keeper, but narrowly rolled the wrong side of the far post. Again, it was a matter of just a few inches that prevented Newbury from hitting the back of the net.
It had been a very solid second half performance from Newbury, with a final finish all that was missing. Cruelly, in stoppage time, Newbury conceded a third from a Mansfield corner to give the 3-0 score-line a very harsh look.
Report by Sue Hewett.
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