After yesterday’s erm, comprehensive defeat, the Women took on Cheltenham today. Those of you with good memories will remember I went to the reverse fixture, a game that was so rubbish I was “forced” to pad out my match report with horse racing puns. There will be no need for any padding today as Lewes won this one by more than a few lengths.
The going was pretty heavy on the pitch, the muddy patch at the Parris end where Folkestone were warming up yesterday was still pretty obvious. Not that it would see much action in the first half.
Lewes led this one from the off. We’d already had a couple of chances by the time Lewes went ahead in the sixth minute, where a questionably offside Leah Lane turned in a Paula Howells shot at the far post. Howells forced a save from the Cheltenham keeper, Seaby so nearly had a clear run on goal. Lewes looked like scoring every time they attacked.
And then Lewes sort of did start scoring every time they attacked. Schreimaier lifted one over the hapless keeper for 2-0, remarkably her first for Lewes. Seaby pulls one back to Carpenter, 3-0. Leah Lane twisted through the Cheltenham defence, somehow lost the ball but Bex Trewhitt gave the ball a erm.. true hit (sorry/not sorry) from the edge of the area for 4-0.
After I accidentally caused a small diplomatic incident at half time by saying Cheltenham really weren’t very good (or words to that effect) with the Cheltenham coaching team stood behind me, Leah Lane demonstrated that I might have had a point straight after the restart, going for a long run down the right and pulling the ball back for Ferguson to bundle home for 5-0.
The linesman wasn’t Kayla Ginger’s best mate in the second half, flagging her offside after she tapped in, but she synchronised her run a minute later and tapped in Lane’s cross for 6-0. At some point around now, Layla Banaras managed to dislocate a finger, which led to the bizarre sight of (now substituted) Paula Howells walking around the ground asking if anyone knew how to put someone’s finger back in.
The match settled after that. Not so much a war of attrition, but Lewes dominated still yet didn’t convert any of the chances they created. The closest was Maddie Brant sticking a free-kick into the wall before Hannah Godfrey smashed the ball wide. The only point it looks like trouble is when the Cheltenham 15 managed to break through the defence and looked sure to pull a consolation goal back, but put her shot wide. Not one for the album photo.
A Kauto 6 star performance from Lewes. To see more business, a visit to the cool ground of Pagham in the Sussex Cup next. I know the way you’re thinking: somehow after yesterday’s defeat, we’re +1 over the weekend as a whole.
(No, I didn’t have the Wikipedia page for the Cheltenham Gold Cup open, honest..)
Lewes: Moore, Brant, Schreimaier, Banaras, Godfrey (c), Carpenter (Rowe), Seaby (Ginger), Trewhitt (Gilligan), Howells (Ferguson), Priest (Edwards), Lane.
Goals: Lane, Schreimaier, Carpenter, Trewhitt, Ferguson, Ginger.
POTM: Sydney Schreimaier missed the reverse fixture, which might’ve been why we lost because she was absolutely awesome today.