Match Report
Leading from the front, top scorer Hayley O’Hara bagged another hatrick to take her season’s total to 12 goals in five games, whilst two each for Shellby Wolstencroft, Olivia Smith and Kirsty Chambers supplemented by single strikes from Beth Tattersall and Kayleigh Catterall completed an impressive 11-0 victory over Curzon Ashton Ladies reserves to storm top of the league after Manchester City defeated AFC Oldham 4-0 in the day’s earlier kick off.
A couple of scramble bikes had etched pretty patterns all over our usual pitch so this week’s home game shuffled one rectangular patch of mud to the left as the pre match set-up routine swung into action; nets up, respect barrier, complete with flags, hammered home, corner flags in place and a pitch walk to check for any hound mounds and other nasties, carried out ahead of kick off. This really is DIY football and as a healthy crowd of 76 turned up to watch the latest instalment in this historic first season for our women’s team, the forecasted rain and wind didn’t disappoint.
Curzon, in their all blue strip, got us underway and from the off portrayed a team with admirable footballing qualities who looked as though they would provide FC with their sternest test of the season so far. This is perhaps a fair assessment of Curzon throughout the entire match as they forced United to step up their game. And so it was on 10 minutes that Smith ran the channel up front to latch onto a precision through ball, taking it wide left before cutting inside and curling a left footed drive (reminiscent of Whiteside’s in the 1985 Cup final for those of a certain vintage) from the angle of the 18 yard box beyond the despairing dive of Megan Ashton in the Curzon goal.
Ruthlessly, United went on to deluge the Curzon goal with 5 more strikes in the next 11 minutes: O’Hara bagged her first of the afternoon on 13 minutes heading in from close range following an excellent chipped cross from Beth Hayes. She had her second and FC’s third just two minutes later as keeper Amy Gillingham worked an over-hit Curzon through ball to Claire O’Reilly at left back who in turn floated a ball beyond the Curzon defence for O’Hara to carry into the area and steer wide of the onrushing keeper.
Just a minute later Smith snatched her second of the afternoon sliding in to the six-yard area and connecting with a low driven cross from Kirsty Chambers. Chambers herself got in on the act beating the offside trap down the left before flighting a delightful chip from 18 yards over the raised arms of Ashton as she rushed out to block the shot but found herself hopelessly stranded leaving the ball to bounce unchallenged into the open goal. O’Hara then completed the fastest hatrick thus far for the FC’s women bagging her third in eight minutes and FC’s sixth in the first 21 minutes of the game. This was arguably her best of the three as Chambers drove a cross in from the left for O’Hara to volley inside the near post on the stretch from five yards.
The efforts of the ever-busy speedy right sided Beth Tattersall were rewarded when she received a pass from Olivia Greenhalgh in the middle of the park and then proceeded to outstrip the Curzon defence to fire low across the keeper for number seven of the afternoon on 27 minutes. A combination of missed half-chances , resilient Curzon defending and the worsening conditions saw the half end with no further addition to the score line. Perversely the rain stopped for the half time break and began again, heavier than ever, not long after United got the second half underway.
Whilst it was clear that United wanted to add to their first half tally, equally Curzon were determined not to let them and the opening exchanges of that half saw both teams vying for supremacy. Curzon’s Holly Espie fired in a 20 yard free kick from a central position that was bound for the top corner only for Gillingham to show two strong hands and deflect the ball over the bar with Fran Davies clearing the lines from the resultant corner.
Moments later Espie had the game’s next chance as she struck a hard low shot from distance which deceived Gillingham as it spun off the greasy surface, however the keeper recovered well to smother the loose ball inches from the line. The management team deemed it time to freshen things up and made a double substitution as Shellby Wolstencroft replaced O’Hara up front and Kayleigh Catterall came into midfield replacing Hayes. With no substitutes available to Curzon, they received a bitter blow as Captain Sarah Haymes twisted awkwardly in a challenge and could play no further part.
FC pressed their numerate advantage as Chambers outpaced the defence cutting in at speed from the left; focused on powering a drive past Ashton at her near post for United’s eighth and first of the second half on 65 minutes. Substitute Wolstencroft grabbed United’s ninth, bursting through the Curzon backline and running the ball beyond Ashton as it crept inside the near post. Second substitute, Catterall, scored her first competitive goal for the club and United’s tenth of the afternoon as she steered through midfield as her team mates ran cleverly either side to create a gap which Catterall exploited to devastating effect, firing confidently beyond Ashton on 78 minutes.
On 85 minutes O’Reilly retired injured and O’Hara rejoined the fray up front causing a defensive reshuffle for the remainder of the game with the imposing Davies slotting into left back and centre forward Smith moving in at centre half alongside the impressive Broghan Matthews and Amy Battel.
Wolstencroft was unlucky not to have at least four goals in her 20 minutes on the pitch as first a smart turn and volley on the penalty spot was well saved by Ashton and moments later a shot across the keeper came back off the inside of the post to be scrambled clear by the Curzon defence. Wolstencroft was to have the last word however as she wrapped up the afternoon’s action after a clever short pass by Olivia Greenhalgh found the striker just inside the area to despatch a curled shot beyond Ashton on 90 minutes.
Report by Rob Fullen
Players of the match: An excellent all round team display saw many individual moments of high quality and in a game that delivered the sternest test of the season so far, the player of the match goes to dependable, centre half Francesca Davies. Curzon Ashton chose left winger Kirsty Chambers as our player of the match.
Teams 30 Sept 2012: Attendance: 76
FFC United of Manchester: 11 (7)
1. Amy Gillingham - goalkeeper and captain
2. Amy Battel - right back
18. Claire O’Reilly - left back
4. Francesca Davies - centre half
5. Broghan Matthews - centre half
6. Olivia Greenhalgh - centre midfield
17. Beth Hayes - centre midfield
10. Beth Tattersall - right midfield (goal 27)
11. Kirsty Chambers - left midfield (goals 18, 65)
12. Hayley O’Hara - centre forward (goals 13, 15, 21)
17. Olivia Smith - centre forward (goals 10, 16)
Subs:
7. Kayleigh Catterall - centre midfield (for No17 61 mins) goal 78
11. Shellby Wolstencroft - centre forward - (for No12 61 mins) goals 70, 90
12. Hayley O’Hara (Roll on Roll off sub for No18 85 mins)
Curzon Ashton Ladies Reserves: 0 (0)
1. Megan Matthews
2. Sam Shepherd
4. Laura Duffy
5. Sarah Haymes
6. Laura Cummings
8. Kim Seddon
9. Lindzi Fox
10. Rachel Parkinson
11.Holly Espie
12. Sarah Goulding
14. Emma King
Match Report
Leading from the front, top scorer Hayley O’Hara bagged another hatrick to take her season’s total to 12 goals in five games, whilst two each for Shellby Wolstencroft, Olivia Smith and Kirsty Chambers supplemented by single strikes from Beth Tattersall and Kayleigh Catterall completed an impressive 11-0 victory over Curzon Ashton Ladies reserves to storm top of the league after Manchester City defeated AFC Oldham 4-0 in the day’s earlier kick off.
A couple of scramble bikes had etched pretty patterns all over our usual pitch so this week’s home game shuffled one rectangular patch of mud to the left as the pre match set-up routine swung into action; nets up, respect barrier, complete with flags, hammered home, corner flags in place and a pitch walk to check for any hound mounds and other nasties, carried out ahead of kick off. This really is DIY football and as a healthy crowd of 76 turned up to watch the latest instalment in this historic first season for our women’s team, the forecasted rain and wind didn’t disappoint.
Curzon, in their all blue strip, got us underway and from the off portrayed a team with admirable footballing qualities who looked as though they would provide FC with their sternest test of the season so far. This is perhaps a fair assessment of Curzon throughout the entire match as they forced United to step up their game. And so it was on 10 minutes that Smith ran the channel up front to latch onto a precision through ball, taking it wide left before cutting inside and curling a left footed drive (reminiscent of Whiteside’s in the 1985 Cup final for those of a certain vintage) from the angle of the 18 yard box beyond the despairing dive of Megan Ashton in the Curzon goal.
Ruthlessly, United went on to deluge the Curzon goal with 5 more strikes in the next 11 minutes: O’Hara bagged her first of the afternoon on 13 minutes heading in from close range following an excellent chipped cross from Beth Hayes. She had her second and FC’s third just two minutes later as keeper Amy Gillingham worked an over-hit Curzon through ball to Claire O’Reilly at left back who in turn floated a ball beyond the Curzon defence for O’Hara to carry into the area and steer wide of the onrushing keeper.
Just a minute later Smith snatched her second of the afternoon sliding in to the six-yard area and connecting with a low driven cross from Kirsty Chambers. Chambers herself got in on the act beating the offside trap down the left before flighting a delightful chip from 18 yards over the raised arms of Ashton as she rushed out to block the shot but found herself hopelessly stranded leaving the ball to bounce unchallenged into the open goal. O’Hara then completed the fastest hatrick thus far for the FC’s women bagging her third in eight minutes and FC’s sixth in the first 21 minutes of the game. This was arguably her best of the three as Chambers drove a cross in from the left for O’Hara to volley inside the near post on the stretch from five yards.
The efforts of the ever-busy speedy right sided Beth Tattersall were rewarded when she received a pass from Olivia Greenhalgh in the middle of the park and then proceeded to outstrip the Curzon defence to fire low across the keeper for number seven of the afternoon on 27 minutes. A combination of missed half-chances , resilient Curzon defending and the worsening conditions saw the half end with no further addition to the score line. Perversely the rain stopped for the half time break and began again, heavier than ever, not long after United got the second half underway.
Whilst it was clear that United wanted to add to their first half tally, equally Curzon were determined not to let them and the opening exchanges of that half saw both teams vying for supremacy. Curzon’s Holly Espie fired in a 20 yard free kick from a central position that was bound for the top corner only for Gillingham to show two strong hands and deflect the ball over the bar with Fran Davies clearing the lines from the resultant corner.
Moments later Espie had the game’s next chance as she struck a hard low shot from distance which deceived Gillingham as it spun off the greasy surface, however the keeper recovered well to smother the loose ball inches from the line. The management team deemed it time to freshen things up and made a double substitution as Shellby Wolstencroft replaced O’Hara up front and Kayleigh Catterall came into midfield replacing Hayes. With no substitutes available to Curzon, they received a bitter blow as Captain Sarah Haymes twisted awkwardly in a challenge and could play no further part.
FC pressed their numerate advantage as Chambers outpaced the defence cutting in at speed from the left; focused on powering a drive past Ashton at her near post for United’s eighth and first of the second half on 65 minutes. Substitute Wolstencroft grabbed United’s ninth, bursting through the Curzon backline and running the ball beyond Ashton as it crept inside the near post. Second substitute, Catterall, scored her first competitive goal for the club and United’s tenth of the afternoon as she steered through midfield as her team mates ran cleverly either side to create a gap which Catterall exploited to devastating effect, firing confidently beyond Ashton on 78 minutes.
On 85 minutes O’Reilly retired injured and O’Hara rejoined the fray up front causing a defensive reshuffle for the remainder of the game with the imposing Davies slotting into left back and centre forward Smith moving in at centre half alongside the impressive Broghan Matthews and Amy Battel.
Wolstencroft was unlucky not to have at least four goals in her 20 minutes on the pitch as first a smart turn and volley on the penalty spot was well saved by Ashton and moments later a shot across the keeper came back off the inside of the post to be scrambled clear by the Curzon defence. Wolstencroft was to have the last word however as she wrapped up the afternoon’s action after a clever short pass by Olivia Greenhalgh found the striker just inside the area to despatch a curled shot beyond Ashton on 90 minutes.
Report by Rob Fullen
Players of the match: An excellent all round team display saw many individual moments of high quality and in a game that delivered the sternest test of the season so far, the player of the match goes to dependable, centre half Francesca Davies. Curzon Ashton chose left winger Kirsty Chambers as our player of the match.
Teams 30 Sept 2012: Attendance: 76
FFC United of Manchester: 11 (7)
1. Amy Gillingham - goalkeeper and captain
2. Amy Battel - right back
18. Claire O’Reilly - left back
4. Francesca Davies - centre half
5. Broghan Matthews - centre half
6. Olivia Greenhalgh - centre midfield
17. Beth Hayes - centre midfield
10. Beth Tattersall - right midfield (goal 27)
11. Kirsty Chambers - left midfield (goals 18, 65)
12. Hayley O’Hara - centre forward (goals 13, 15, 21)
17. Olivia Smith - centre forward (goals 10, 16)
Subs:
7. Kayleigh Catterall - centre midfield (for No17 61 mins) goal 78
11. Shellby Wolstencroft - centre forward - (for No12 61 mins) goals 70, 90
12. Hayley O’Hara (Roll on Roll off sub for No18 85 mins)
Curzon Ashton Ladies Reserves: 0 (0)
1. Megan Matthews
2. Sam Shepherd
4. Laura Duffy
5. Sarah Haymes
6. Laura Cummings
8. Kim Seddon
9. Lindzi Fox
10. Rachel Parkinson
11.Holly Espie
12. Sarah Goulding
14. Emma King
