Match Report

FC United of Manchester Women 9

Oldham Athletic Ladies FC 1

Attendance: 41

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The first round of games following the Christmas break were played in the teeth of wintery gales. With leaders Beechfield United away at third-placed Chorltonians, FC United hosted fifth-placed Oldham Athletic at the Abraham Moss Centre. By the close of play FC United were top of the league for the first time this season following a convincing 9-1 victory over the Latics with five goals from captain Kirsty Chambers and single strikes from Shellby Wolstencroft, Beth Hayes, Feiruz Abdullahi and Amy Battel.

Oldham’s Lisa Wood scored the visitor’s goal in the first half to add to the two she scored against the Reds in the away fixture back in October. Chorltonians did to Beechfield what they had done to FC back in November, winning 3-1 and leaving the title race wide open with things very much now in FC’s own hands.

United kicked off but were sloppy in defence presenting a couple of half chances to Oldham in the opening minute with a combination of Jesses’ McCarrick and Tonge finally restoring order and setting Chambers off down the left. Chambers played a one-two with Hayes before driving into the opposition area; firing hard and low into the bottom corner of Samantha Miller’s goal via the keepers’ outstretched leg on two minutes. Abdullahi was the next to test Miller who held on well to a curling shot and was through on goal minutes later skewing her shot wide of the post. Chambers did the same in the next attack after latching onto a delightful through ball from Hayes. However, the second goal finally came on the quarter hour as Chambers collected a slide-rule pass from Leah Hartshorne and calmly slotted the ball to Miller’s right from 15 yards.

With the wind in their favour the Latics launched a speculative effort from half way straight from the restart and Mary Priestner had to be on her toes in the FC goal. Oldham kept pressing and from a corner Hartshorne headed clear to Abdullahi who carried the ball beyond the high line defence, bore down on goal and forced Miller into a good save with her legs. Oldham’s persistence paid off on 24 minutes as veteran defender Lesley English cleared long to Lisa Wood who used her presence to get goal side of Nicole Worthington before unleashing a stunning half volley that left Priestner with no chance and halved the deficit. United reasserted their two-goal cushion with a stroke of good fortune ten minutes later after Aimee Cooke, Abdullahi and Hayes had missed good chances. Captain Chambers lofted a cross-cum-shot goal wards from the left and the flight of the ball in swirling conditions deceived Miller as it landed in the goal at the far post. United pressed on with Abdullahi cannoning a fantastic shot off the bar and Charlie Evans seeing her effort just drift wide of the post.

There was no doubt about the quality of United’s fourth goal on the stroke of half time as the Reds took a quick free kick down the right where Charlie Evans fed Abdullahi who in turn found Hayes on the edge of the area. Clever footwork from the number seven outwitted two defenders as she played a deft pass into the path of Chambers who wrong-footed a defender in the ‘D’ before blasting an unstoppable shot past a rooted Miller to leave the reds with a healthy three-goal cushion going into the break.

Oldham began the second half like they had the first; on the front foot. New signing, Lucy Bonner surged beyond the FC back line and unleashed a crashing dive that beat the advancing Priestner but luckily cannoned away off the foot of the post for a goal kick. Hayes came close for FC, forcing Miller to tip her volley over the bar following a Chambers corner and on 54 minutes United did have their fifth goal which effectively ended an enterprising Oldham’s chances of salvaging anything from the game. Substitute Wolstencroft, on at the start of the half, twisted, span and pirouetted her way sublimely past several blue shirts before swivelling to blast an unstoppable shot into the back of the net from ten yards. This signalled Miller’s last action of the game as defender English took her place in goal and Natalie Ryan rejoined the fray just a minute after going off herself.

Hayes burst from midfield and lifted a delightful chip over the new keeper from 25 yards with Chambers bagging her fifth and the Reds’ seventh just a minute later on the hour. Oldham’s resistance dwindled and United poured forward at will with English proving a valuable last line of defence for the Latics as she denied, Amy Battel, Cooke, Hartshorne, Evans and Chambers. However she could do nothing to prevent goal number eight as the reintroduced Abdullahi drove from deep and fired a stunning low shot from 18 yards to the keeper’s left into the bottom corner. Battel wrapped up the scoring in the 83rd minute as she chested home a Chambers corner at the back post from a yard out.

An excellent performance by United, in tricky conditions, against a robust and skilful opposition.

With our next fixture being away at Heyside we are back at Abraham Moss on 1 February hosting Chorltonians in a game that takes on extra significance after today’s results. Get yourself to that football ground.

Report by Rob Fullen

Player of the game: Kirsty Chambers – many good and solid performances with the standout being from the captain, who scored five goals, led by example and could have had more herself but time and again unselfishly set up others to try and add to the tally.

Teams 11th January 2015: Attendance: 41
FC United of Manchester Women: 9(4)
1. Mary Priestner (Goalkeeper)
2. Amy Battel (right back) (goal 83mins)
17. Jess McCarrick (centre half)
3. Nicole Worthington (centre half)
12. Jess Tonge (left back)
4. Aimee Cooke (centre midfield)
7. Beth Hayes (centre midfield) (goal 58mins)
18. Leah Hartshorne (centre midfield)
16. Charlie Evans (right midfield)
11. Kirsty Chambers (captain, left midfield) (goals 2, 16, 34, 45, 59mins)
14. Feiruz Abdullahi (centre forward) (goal 68mins)
Subs:
9. Shellby Wolstencroft (for No14 46mins) (goal 54mins)
6. Shauna Ward (for No18 41mins)
Roll On Roll Off Changes:
No14 on for No17 65mins
No18 on for No4 72mins

Oldham Athletic Ladies FC: 1 (1)
1. Samantha Miller
16. Rysia Freeman
4. Lesley English
5. Alison Barber
6. Emmanuoela Chrissaki (captain)
7. Shelby Newton
8. Natalie Ryan
14. Amy Finnigan
13. Courtney O’Connor
11. Lisa Wood (goal 24mins)
17. Lucy Bonner
Subs:
2. Dawn Wild (for No8 54mins)
3. Kim Shaw (for No13 22mins)
10. Gemma Smith (for No5 8mins)
12. Alys Wild (for No17 54mins)
Roll on Roll off changes:
No8 for No1 (55mins) with No4 taking over in goal

Referee: Martin Jones
Venue: Abraham Moss Centre, Crumpsall.