We were all sat there, waiting for the inevitable equaliser. It didn’t come, writes Mike Wallis.
Lewes have been on a run of form recently that is both good and bad. Leading each of the past four matches after 90 minutes is good, to only come away with two points to show from those four matches is also bad.
Rhian Cleverly starts for the first time since the Reading away game in October and is playing together with Ellie Hack in defence for only the second time this season. Lewes look an awful lot more solid at the back as a result. New striker Aimee Claypole looks a good find and along with Jacqui Hand causes the Sheffield United defence lots of problems in the first half.
In fact, aside from a typically shambolic defence of a corner, Lewes controlled the early part of the match. Maria Farrugia got her first goal for the Rooks last time at The Pan against Reading and she added another after 15 minutes, getting onto the end of Hand’s through ball and hitting a shot low past Stenson in the Sheffield United goal. 1-0.
Sheffield United put Lewes under more pressure as the half went on, without ever having a decent shot on goal. The closest chance they had was from Goodwin’s run through on goal, which was smothered by Sophie Whitehouse on the edge of her box, followed by a long pause whilst Whitehouse’s shoulder was re-attached.
Lewes looked (understandably) much more nervous in the second half. Whitehouse fumbled an easy catch behind for a corner. Rhian Cleverly screamed for a header, then completely missed the ball. A Lewes corner leads to a goalmouth scramble where nobody manages to have an effort at goal and another where everyone looks at each other as the ball sails past and out for a goal kick.
And then, almost identical to the goal in the first half. Hand released Farrugia who slotted the ball past the keeper. 2-0. Tension lifted. Briefly.
Hollie Olding and Rebecca Raynor were challenging for the ball on the edge of the area, Raynor went down after having a shot and the referee gave a penalty. My immediate thought was that the foul was outside the box, but having watched the replay it seems the penalty was given for an extremely harsh handball against Rhian Cleverly, who had her back turned on the shot. Given nobody understands the handball law these days, I have no idea if the decision was correct or not.
Whitehouse got a hand to Goodwin’s penalty, but not enough to keep it out. 2-1.
Sheffield United have been slowly dragged into the relegation battle, largely by Lewes and Watford picking up points recently. They needed a result today almost as much as Lewes and they knew Lewes’s recent record of conceding late goals, especially from corners. They put the pressure on more and more as the half went on somehow not equalising after Whitehouse had a flap at a corner, didn’t get enough on it and two or three attempts were made on goal, one from a backheel cleared off the line by Cleverly. Whitehouse was forced into another save shortly after, tipping Sigsworth’s shot around the post. The last 15 minutes felt like Sheffield United were going to score every time they came forward.
Farrugia and Hand will take a lot of the plaudits for this game, Farrugia given player of the match for her two goals, but Reanna Blades had the best game I’ve seen her have for Lewes. Often causing trouble on the wings and also covering well in defence after Carragh Hamilton’s regular adventures forward. Twice she got herself into positions to have a tap-in for 3-1 only for the final ball to not quite reach her.
Her substitution in injury time was a masterclass in timewasting too, going down for treatment, getting back up again before the physio came on, going back down again, getting substituted, not getting substituted, coming back on, getting clouted by the big Sheffield United centre half (how a red card wasn’t given, I have no idea) and eventually being replaced by Anna Gray.
After six games of this season, I thought this team were done. They were losing games without much of a fight and looked horribly out of their depth in this league. Despite the various last minute dramas, Lewes have only had one defeat in the past six and at full-time were out of the relegation zone for the first time this season.
Lewes have a difficult run in, but with a massive game against Watford in two weeks’ time, still have a great chance to pull off the escape that looked so unlikely after the defeat to Reading in October.
Lewes: Whitehouse; Hamilton, Hack (Godfrey 82), Cleverly ©, Heuchan; Blades (Grey 90+1), Olding, Hazard, Farrugia; Claypole (Riglar 82), Hand (Ferguson 70).
Goals: Farrugia (15, 56)
Booked: Heuchan, Olding
Sheffield United: Stenson, Newsham, Barker, Bourne, Sigsworth, Rayner, Goodwin, Hodson (Butler 90+1), Hutton (Muir 90+1), Kinzett, Brown.
Goal: Goodwin (69 pen)
Player of the Match: Maria Farrugia – with honourable mentions to Hand, Whitehouse and Blades.