The home side were hot favourites due to Stanford’s lowly position in the league table, but it was Stanford who began really positively, with Newbury kept in their own half. Gradually though, Newbury were able to string their passes together and could build a solid base, with some neat attacking play. Imogen Gibbons was hugely influential for Newbury in these early stages and she was linking up well with Alice Hill and Nicole Beesley. The latter was soon to pull into a wide position and then saw her cross glance across the Stanford goal, but cruelly deflect out after hitting the far post.

Then after 17 minutes, Beesley won her side a corner, which she stepped up to take herself. The cross landed in the back post area, but it was a Stanford defender who turned the ball into her own net, for an own goal and this opened the scoring. Newbury grateful to take a one nil lead.

With their confidence boosted, Newbury became even more dominant in attack. Maria Rodrigues with a great chance to extend Newbury’s lead, after she was played in by an excellent pass from Sam McConnon. Sadly for Newbury, after she had rounded the keeper, Rodrigues could only put her effort just wide. But Newbury did score again just prior to half time, from a move that was started by Nicole Pearce. Her ball forward found Gibbons, who in turn played to the feet of Beesley. When the shooting chance came, Beesley made no mistake, hitting a hard shot, that went through the keeper’s hands for two nil. That score-line remained as the half time whistle was sounded soon after, and Newbury looked very comfortable at the break.

Not long after the re-start and Newbury’s players were given a rude awakening, when Stanford managed to pull a goal back. The Stanford striker took her chance well in the 54th minute to make it 2-1. Newbury’s players were still seemingly shell-shocked when they conceded again straight after the kick off. A long-range lobbed shot giving Stanford an equaliser and levelling the match at two goals apiece. There then followed a period of some concern for Newbury, as they had appeared to be in full control in the first half, but now found themselves pegged back and scrambling.

In big moments, up step the big players and Newbury’s Kendall Gilmour started to show her class and her leadership, driving her team mates forward. Despite having more of the attacking play again, Newbury couldn’t find the required finish and so the clock began to tick down, with the scores still tied at 2-2. Then, with 12 minutes left, Gilmour played a superb pass through to Alice Hill, whose touch took her through for a one-on-one opportunity with the Stanford goalkeeper. Hill showed excellent composure to stroke the ball home and give her side a 3-2 lead.

This knocked the stuffing out of the Stanford players, but Newbury’s in contrast, had their tails up in the final period. Gibbons was next to be played in for another one-on-one situation, but she sadly fared less well, with Stanford’s keeper able to make a brave save at Gibbons’ feet. In the 84th minute, Newbury did extend their lead further when Gilmour collected a loose ball just inside the Stanford half. She struck an audacious shot that sailed into the net off the post and this sealed a 4-2 victory for the Newbury Development Team. Although Newbury’s players will be the first to admit that they had made harder work of the match than they’d needed to, they responded well to a setback and came through to take all 3 points at the final whistle.

Match report by Sue Hewett