FC United women prove too strong for brave Ashton

Another convincing performance from FC United’s women’s team saw a seven-goal salvo answered only by an Ashton United penalty as they continue their impressive 100% record in the Greater Manchester Women’s Football League.

A dark, overcast Sunday lunch time at Broadhurst Fields, greeted the players, supporters and officials of FC United women and their counterparts from Ashton United, making their first appearance of the season today. During the preceding week, Ashton had worked frantically to assemble a squad and to their credit, were able to muster ten to tackle the eleven of FC United. With no alternative kit available, Ashton lined up in their traditional red and white halved shirts with FC United sportingly opting for the all blue third kit, despite being at home.

Using the same pitch (the High Ground) as in FC’s opening game a fortnight earlier, Referee Brian McGill got the game underway with FC kicking off towards the Cemetery End and going straight on the attack creating three good openings inside the first four minutes. Arguably the best of those falling to right winger Beth Tattersall who forced keeper Rebecca Harrison into a good stop at her near post.

With FC United dominating possession and territory, forcing Ashton to defend progressively deeper, Beth Hayes worked an opening down the right, saw her cross cleared to land at the left edge of the area where Hayley O’Hara worked an opening to drive a hard, low effort towards goal glancing off a defender to narrowly avoid the far post. Claire O’Reilly swung in a deep corner from the right which was met on the stretch by Maya Germain who steered a difficult chance just wide of the post.

The rain-laden clouds scurried overhead chased by a strengthening breeze that swept across the expanse of Broadhurst with the mature tree lines on the cemetery and Lightbowne Road sides affording little protection as the horizontal rain began to lash the fields before the quarter hour mark. FC’s Fran Davies brought an abrupt end to a rare Ashton foray into United territory setting Germain on an incisive and ultimately profitable raid down the left. As the skilful number eight cut in from the wing and into the area, she was tripped and despite striving to maintain her balance and set up colleagues arriving from midfield the referee blew for a penalty. The spot kick was confidently despatched to the keeper’s left by left back Lucy Golding for the game’s first goal on 16 minutes.

As the FC defence compressed higher up the pitch, centre back Davies robbed an Ashton player and unleashed a drive from 25 yards only narrowly going wide and within a minute Germain drove a cross from the bye line that was met by the head of O’Hara charging across her defender at the near post and seeing her effort just clear the bar. The third chance in as many minutes saw Broghan Matthews release the ball to progressive right back Amy Battel who drove a low shot from range which Harrison did well to turn around the post as the ball skidded at pace off the wet surface. The relentless FC pressure finally paid dividends on 25 minutes as the ball was collected centrally by a combination of O’Reilly and Tattersall with the latter threading a pass into the area to O’Hara who had the composure to pick her spot and steer the ball into the goal to Harrison’s right to double FC’s tally.

With FC firmly in control a third soon followed as Beth Hayes latched onto a poor clearance and struck from range. The impressive keeping of Harrison in the Ashton goal had to this point stemmed the tide and she didn’t deserve the cruel mistake that saw the shot from Hayes squirm from her grasp and trickle agonisingly over the line.

Further resolute defending by the visitors kept FC at bay during a ten minute spell that saw the weather take a further turn for the worse and culminated in FC United’s fourth goal on 37 minutes. The impressive O’Reilly took charge of a loose ball, sprinted down the left edge of the area and fired a fierce low drive across the keeper into the far corner of the goal and drew cheers, amplified by the plethora of brollies, and enthusiastic applause from the appreciative 100+ spectators for the best goal of the half.

A minute after the restart, Ashton’s numerical deficit worsened as an innocuous challenge in the midfield saw their number two, Becky Etchells leaving the field with an Achilles injury to take no further part in the contest. The nine brave souls of Ashton held FC at bay for the final minutes of the half and all players took welcome shelter from the rain giving Ashton in particular, the opportunity to regroup.

Ashton got the second half underway but within a minute, FC were quickly on the attack and the lively Tattersall was once again thwarted by the resolute Harrison. United remained patient in the build up and a square ball in field from Tattersall found Hayes who took one touch and lobbed a half volley over Harrison into the top corner from fully 25 yards for arguably the goal of the game on 55 minutes.

In a bid to increase the intensity and freshen up the side, joint manager John ’Marzy’ Marsden made the first of three quick fire substitutions as Shellby Wolstencroft replaced O’Hara on 62 minutes and almost profited from a Golding cross within seconds of entering the fray. Golding herself came off two minutes later to be replaced by centre forward Olivia Smith making her competitive debut. United went three at the back and looked to press forward at every opportunity with Germain embarking on a mazy run from the halfway on the left cutting into the centre of the penalty area only to see her shot flash inches past the upright. Despite her excellent performance, that was to be Germain’s last action of the afternoon as she was given a well-earned breather to be replaced by another debutant, Kirsty Chambers, returning from an ankle injury sustained in the final friendly encounter at Crewe.

As the crowd tried to urge FC to press their numerical and territorial advantage by launching into a falsetto, operatic rendition of "build our own ground" (rather poignant being a stone’s throw from where we hope to do just that) FC switched off at the back as a mix up between Davies and captain Amy Gillingham in the FC goal saw Rachel McHugh latch onto the loose ball in the box and a despairing dive by Gillingham sent McHugh sprawling leaving the referee with no option but to award a penalty. McHugh herself stepped up and struck a firm shot to Gillingham’s right on 75 minutes giving Ashton at least some reward for the resolute approach to a difficult fixture and they hold the distinction of being the first team ever to score against FC United in a competitive fixture.

The Ashton strike served to spur FC United on as the impressive Olivia Greenhalgh in centre midfield increasingly became the pivot for successive waves of pressure that culminated in two more FC strikes before the final whistle. The first, FC’s sixth of the afternoon, followed good work on the left with O’Reilly, Wolstencroft and Chambers linking well with the latter firing across the box for Smith to drill home from eight yards on 80 minutes. Just three minutes from time the scoring was concluded after a firm header from Chambers landed in the path of the industrious Wolstencroft who fired a superb half volley from the left edge of the area beating Harrison on her near post sparking the final bar scarf twirl of the afternoon.

Both sets of players and coaches left the field to appreciative, well-deserved cheers and applause and as the nets and flags came down and the car park emptied (as most of the gathering headed for sanctuary and hot pot in the FC lounge). There was also time for manager Marsden to rescue another Broadhurst damsel in distress by jump starting a car after the said damsel and her friend had watched the second half from their Toyota shelter, flattening the battery by overuse of the wipers and blowers.

Impressive victories by AFC Oldham who beat Manchester Rovers 10-0 and Manchester City, beating Oldham Athletic 11-2 leaves things very tight at the top of the league with FC still lying second on goal difference. A full strength Ashton United team will undoubtedly stifle other high flying teams and create them problems if their brave debut performance is anything to go by.

Report by Rob Fullen.


Players of the match: No19 Olivia Greenhalgh, for an unfussy performance that tidied up the midfield and provided the pivot for many of FC United’s more expressive players to influence the game in front of goal. No 8 Maya Germain also deserves mention and was voted FC player of the match by Ashton’s officials. Undoubtedly Ashton’s keeper Rebecca Harrison was their player of the match but the influence of skipper Rachel Cummings in marshalling an impressive rear guard action with depleted resources deserves mention also.

Match details 16 Sept 2012:

FC United of Manchester Women: 7 (4)

1. Amy Gillingham: Goalkeeper (captain)
2. Amy Battel: right back
3. Lucy Golding: left back (scored FC’s first (pen) on 16 mins)
4. Francesca Davies: centre half
5. Broghan Matthews: centre half
8. Maya Germain: left midfield
10. Beth Tattersall: right midfield
12. Hayley O’Hara: centre forward (scored FC’s second on 25 mins)
17. Beth Hayes: centre midfield (scored FC’s third and fifth on 27 and 55 mins)
7. Claire O’Reilly: centre midfield (scored FC’s fourth on 37 mins)
19. Olivia Greenhalgh: centre midfield

Subs:
9. Olivia Smith: centre forward (for No3 64 mins) scored FC’s sixth on 80 mins
11. Kirsty Chambers: left midfield (for No8 70 mins)
20. Shellby Wolstencroft (for No12 62 mins) scored FC’s 7th after 87 mins

Ashton United Ladies: 1 (0)

1. Rebecca Harrison
2. Becky Etchells
3. Bernadette McQuaid
4. Dawn Armitage
6. Amy Critchley
7. Rachel Cummings (captain)
8. Miquelle Tomlinson
9. Ms Mystery (the girl with no name)
11.Katie Blythin
15. Rachel McHugh (scored Ashton’s first (pen) on 75 mins)

Subs: None

Attendance: Approx 105, plus Hughie Traffordable Dog and Holly the Jack Russell