With the home side kicking off, they went onto the attack straight away, playing some good passing football and winning the game’s first corner. This was half cleared and then met with a first time shot from distance from Jo Walsh-Perks, that was sadly too high for the target. Still Newbury pressured and they took control of the midfield area. Gemma Burnett was next to have two good opportunities to cross from the right hand channel, but on each occasion her cross was just too far in front of Ruby Oliver at the back post.

Then Newbury had the early breakthrough they were so desperately seeking, when Leanne Saunders was sent up from the back for another corner. She was un-marked and rose unopposed to steer her header just inside the far post for one nil. This filled Newbury’s players with lots of confidence and they then controlled the tempo of the remainder of the first half extremely well. They had a lead to defend, albeit only a slender one goal margin, but their experience of game management really came to the fore. Goalkeeper, Kat Brown, didn’t really have a shot to save, but what she needed to do, she did well, being quick off her line and superb in her decision making, The defence in front of her looked solid, and in attack Newbury carried a threat and had purpose.

Making her first start of the season for Newbury was striker, Ruby Oliver, and she was producing a live wire display. So it was particularly cruel for her when she picked up a muscle strain just prior to half time. Sadly, she could not continue and so Newbury were forced to bring on substitute, Jazz Bird in the 44th minute. When the Referee’s whistle signalled half time moments later, Newbury still had hold of their one nil lead.

After the break, Newbury’s midfield were again dominant, with an assured display from Lorna Kinder-Parr, who was working extremely well with Walsh-Perks in the heat of the battle. And Captain, Ellie Reed, was back to her best, with a really strong, combative performance. But the real plaudits were saved for Newbury’s Amy McNab, who was asked to play in a slightly different role and her intelligence in doing so, picking up positions that were hard to track, were proving invaluable. So although Newbury needed to show real patience and mental strength in the second period, they deservedly scored a second goal in the 83rd minute. Reed winning the aerial ball well from a Barton goal kick and finding Burnett with her back to goal. She was able to play the ball back into Reed’s path, who then released McNab with a ball into the area. The finish was clinical and unstoppable, and the relief for Newbury’s players was very evident. Surely they had now down enough to secure the win that their good play and performance so richly deserved.

And so it proved, as there would be no way back for Barton Rovers and in fact, their afternoon was made worse, when Newbury were able to claim a third goal in the last minute of the contest. Again, Reed was extremely strong to win the ball in midfield and although her forward pass was met by a sweeping defender, she then made a mistake that played her goalkeeper into trouble. The pacey Jazz Bird charging down the goalkeeper’s last ditch clearance, with the ball hitting Bird and then rolling into the empty net for three nil to Newbury.

What an excellent afternoon for the Newbury Ladies FC – a victory, a clean sheet, three goals and three very welcome points. The win seeing them move off the bottom of the Premier Division table and up four places into seventh position, above Warsash Wasps, Barton Rovers and New Milton Town.

Match report by Sue Hewett

Attendance 23