| After recording back-to-back victories in the last two weeks, Newbury Ladies travelled to league leaders Chesham United in good form and they started this game strongly. The first opening came from a ball over the top of the Chesham defence and then good link up play between Amy McNab, Gemma Burnett and Tracey Beales. It was Burnett’s shot on target that needed to be saved. Next a great McNab run down the right hand channel, resulted in a dangerous cross into the Chesham box. Unfortunately the ball was aimed slightly behind the run of Beales and although she adjusted her body shape and run well, she couldn’t find enough power or direction in her shot. The ball was hit straight at the keeper and she was able to save comfortably. Still 0-0 in the opening period, but Newbury were threatening. Chesham them mounted their own pressure and forced a couple or corners in quick succession. The second corner was cleared off the line by Shelley Forster and in the 6 yard box melee that followed, Tracey Beales sustained an ankle injury. She was replaced by Becky Anderson. In the game’s 19th minute, Chesham scored a long range effort that sailed high over the keeper’s head and into the far top corner for one nil.
Despite going a goal behind, Newbury did not buckle however and they continued chasing and harassing the Chesham players all over the park. A Chesham striker did breach the Newbury back line and she latched onto a ball for a one-on-one chance with Chloe Hunt in the Newbury goal. Hunt had her angles spot on and she blocked well, pushing the ball away to safety. Just inside the half hour mark, after receiving treatment to her ankle, Beales was able to return for Newbury and she replaced Burnett. Unfortunately for Newbury, soon after, a mistake in defence led to a soft back pass, which was collected and then dispatched by the Chesham striker with ease to give the home side a 2 nil lead. Hunt was then called upon to make another fine save just prior to half time. Two nil it remained at the break.
Once again, Newbury started the second half brightly. Burnett had returned to the fray, replacing Bec Walker. Forster was playing everywhere in midfield and she won possession for Newbury, to launch an attack involving McNab and Beales. It was now the Chesham defence under pressure and when they did make a mistake and there was a lose pass deep in the Chesham half, Newbury pounced. With the goalkeeper completely out of position and wrong footed, Beales played a through ball to release Burnett for what looked to be an easy open goal tap-in. But agonisingly for Newbury, the pace of the ball picked up and even as Burnett slid her full body length, she was unable to get her boot onto the ball before it slid the wrong side of the right hand post. Chesham survived this scare and were able to re-group, and it was very much a glorious opportunity missed for Newbury.
Just inside the hour mark, Chesham got lucky in the final third, when a clearance fell straight to their player and she sent back an immediate shot to score their third goal of the game. That as good as sealed the points for the league leaders, but Newbury’s players refused to give in and kept battling hard. But they could not prevent a fourth strike after 75 minutes. McNab had felt a slight muscle pull and so was withdrawn as a precaution for Newbury. She was replaced for a cameo and her first appearance of the season for Newbury’s first team by Nicole Beesley. Beesley looked lively and showed some neat touches on the left flank late on. When the final whistle blew, Chesham United had recorded a comfortable 4 nil victory to remain at the summit of the Southern Region’s Premier Division. Their joy was complete when they heard that title rivals Oxford City had lost on the same day at Shanklin. That result was good news for Newbury Ladies too, as it means they remain in second place in the league table, now just one point ahead of a chasing group of three teams, who are Winchester City Flyers, Ascot United and New Milton Town.
Match report by Sue Hewett
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| Players: Chloe Hunt, Ayala Truelove, Leanne Saunders, Sam Atkins, Jana Penazova, Shelley Forster, Ellie Reed (Capt), Tracey Beales, Bec Walker, Gemma Burnett, Amy McNab, Becky Anderson, Nicole Beesley, Nicole Pearce. |
