Newbury kicked off the proceedings, but it was Moneyfields who launched a series of quick attacks in the opening minutes. And they looked dangerous, with the home team riding their luck a little. But Newbury rallied and started to gain their own spell of possession from ten minutes in. On 13 minutes, the lively Rebecca Chitolie had hers and Newbury’s first shooting opportunity, which she took early, launching a long shot towards the Moneyfields goal. But the visiting keeper was alert to it and she gathered well. Within a minute however, some good Newbury play in midfield, saw Shelley Forster play a pass that sent Chitolie clear of the Moneyfields defence and this time she was clinical with her finish, firing a low shot into the far corner of the net to give Newbury a shock one nil lead.

Newbury were only able to hold onto that one goal advantage for ten minutes though, after the Moneyfields left winger wriggled clear inside the area and then her pull back cross found the striker un-marked and she swept the ball home for 1-1. The rest of the first half was played out in a very high tempo, with the match swinging from end to end. It was not for the fainthearted, but Newbury were playing well and performing with guts and composure. They felt they could get something out of this game, but it was clear that Moneyfields were a very good side. The match was finely poised at the half time break, with the scores still even at 1-1.

There was one injury concern for Newbury at half time, with midfielder, Lorna Kinder-Parr reporting a foot problem. She returned for the second half, but could only last until the 53rd minute, when she was forced off and had to be replaced by the experienced Ayala Truelove. This prompted a slight re-shuffle for the home side, with the highly effective Shelley Forster moved back into a more defensive role. It was not long after that Moneyfields were able to score a somewhat fortunate but crucial second goal, when a deflected and wind-assisted cross/shot drifted high into the far corner. This was just inside the hour mark and without a doubt, it gave Moneyfields a boost.

Bec Walker was introduced for Newbury on 66 minutes, and the hosts continued to ask questions of the Moneyfields defence. But it was the visitors who scored again after 73 minutes, taking a commanding 3-1 lead. There was to be one further scoring opportunity for Newbury in the 81st minute, when Chitolie picked up the ball just over the hallway line. She dribbled forward, riding two challenges from defenders, before racing clear of the back-line for a one-on-one chance. Newbury needed this to go in, to have any prospect of getting back into the match. But the goalkeeper came out quickly and made a terrific save from Chitolie’s shot.

When the final whistle blew, it was Moneyfields who ran out as 3-1 winners on the day and yet again, in a now familiar story, Newbury Ladies had performed brilliantly and yet would take nothing from the game. Shelley Forster was named as their Player of the Match.

Match report by Sue Hewett