Newbury Ladies Football
Match Report -- Season 2017-18
Berks & Bucks Women's Junior Cup Round 2
Sunday 19th November 2017
MK City Ladies Reserves 4 Newbury Ladies Development 0
Newbury Ladies Development Team were again on the road, this time in the Berks & Bucks Women's Junior Cup competition. Their Round 2 tie saw them handed a tricky away fixture against the MK City Ladies Reserve Team. But Newbury started brightly with Nicole Beesley releasing debutant, Molly Baker. Having beaten the off side trap, Baker was through for a long, unopposed run towards goal. Entering the area, she shot low towards the far bottom corner, but the effort needed more power behind it, so unfortunately it allowed enough time for the home keeper to get down and scramble the ball away. Newbury were well on top, with several corners in the opening period and all the play in the MK City defensive half.

After ten minutes, the home team started to settle and then they began to threaten Newbury’s final third, earning a corner of their own, which Lauren Sheldon saved well in the Newbury goal. Newbury had a cruel stroke of bad luck in the 16th minute when Sheldon reacted well to a through ball. She narrowly reached the ball first, just ahead of the MK City attacker, but momentum took both players into an accidental collision and Sheldon came off worst, when she took a knee to the face. In considerable pain and with fears of a fractured cheekbone, Sheldon had to be substituted. But with only 11 players and no substitutes, Newbury had no choice but to go down to just 10 players. Sam McConnon took over the goalkeeping duties for Newbury and this forced a re-shuffle in defence, with captain, Kendall Gilmour moving back to fill in.

Despite only playing with 10, Newbury continued to perform well and the match was still evenly poised. As half time approached, it looked as if both sides would go in with the score-line still goal-less, but then the home side found a break through. An excellent long range shot from 30 yards, sailed into the top corner of the Newbury net and there was nothing that anyone could do. So it was one nil to MK City at the half time interval.

Newbury rallied after the break and began to put together some good passages of play. At times, it was almost impossible to tell that Newbury only had ten players on the pitch, such was their fight and determination to continue to try to take the game to their opponents. They had scoring chances, but were denied by some last ditch defending and good goalkeeping, and so that all important equaliser for Newbury remained out of reach. Newbury were to rue those missed opportunities and also only being able to field a much depleted squad on the day. With tiredness in the legs of the Newbury players starting to become a defining factor, MK City were able to extend their lead in the 80th minute, when they burst through the Newbury back line and their player slotted home for two nil. This set back really knocked the stuffing out of Newbury’s tired and hard working players. So much so, they fell further behind just five minutes later when another MK attack produced a third goal. And then MK City were able to wrap up the scoring on 89 minutes when they converted a one-on-one chance to take a four nil victory and ensure their safe passage into the next round.

Under extremely difficult conditions, Newbury produced a performance to be proud of and the final score-line in no way reflected this sadly. On another day, it could so easily have been a different story, but this was not Newbury’s day.

Newbury’s player of the match was defender, Nicole Pearce, who battled defiantly, with total commitment and a refusal to give in.

Match report by Sue HewettNicole Pearce, Nicole Beesley, Alex Kovacsova, Chloe Mitchard, Molly Baker, Issy Cording.

Players: Lauren Sheldon, Saide Gulliver, Kendall Gilmour (Capt), Sam McConnon, Maria Rodrigues, Nicole Pearce, Nicole Beesley, Alex Kovacsova, Chloe Mitchard, Molly Baker, Issy Cording.
Referee: Andy Halladay
Goal scorers
Player of the match
Nicole Pearce
Next fixture

Thames Valley Counties League Division 3 South
Sunday 18th April 2021 2 p.m.
Newbury Dev v Thatcham 1st
at Donnington Recreation Ground