The Magpies women recorded a first away league victory of the 2025/26 campaign in an exciting five-goal thriller in Somerset against basement side Portishead Town on Sunday afternoon.
On an unsettled afternoon on the Severn Estuary, the heavens opened at kick off to produce a deluge of rain and the visitors went ahead with not even two minutes played at Bristol Road. Katie Akerman has been in fine scoring form this season and the influential midfielder sent a scorching right footed effort into the top corner of the Portishead net from outside the area before the home side had chance to settle. Posset claimed only their first point of the season in a midweek derby draw at Keynsham, part of a run of only one defeat in their last four, and their confidence did not seem unduly knocked as the lively Mia Blazey was allowed to turn on the edge of the box and send a powerful effort wide.
Blazey came close again, firing over Mia Smith’s goal following a pull back from the experienced Shannon Holloway but prior to that attack United had had good chances; the home goalkeeper dropped a routine cross and was fortunate that the resulting shot went wide before Californian Lyndsey Preston saw an effort come back off the near post. A second Maidenhead goal came when Esme Lamb in the sticks for the hosts struck a clearance only as far as Aliyah Charles, who instinctively sent the ball into an unguarded net from fully thirty yards. Captain Simone O’Brien tested Lamb’s handling with a half-volleyed attempt at goal and the consistently excellent Charley Evans snuffed out an opening for Holloway before Maidenhead scored a third at the end of the half, in-form Izzy Stockton turning on a sixpence to find the bottom corner.
Lesser sides would have thrown in the towel, but credit must go to Portishead for working their way back into this one in the second period as the bottom side showed all of the fighting spirit which has taken them to the 2nd Round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. O’Brien’s cross to the far post saw Preston's stooping header gathered by Posset substitute 'keeper Footner before the impressive Blazey took advantage of a misplaced United clearance to loop a shot over Smith. In response, a great move involving Preston and Stockton ended with Katie Vince shooting just wide of the far post, but by this stage with the sun now shining the home side had a buzz about them and they moved to within one goal of Maidenhead when Smith was unable to gather a long free-kick lofted high into the box the loose ball was bundled home.
In fairness to the Magpies, with fifteen long minutes and a plentiful period of stoppage time now remaining they regained their composure and limited the home side’s attacking threat thereafter. There were two mad scrambles in the Portishead box as Maidenhead looked to put the game to bed, but the first half damage they had inflicted was ultimately sufficient to secure three points which puts them back into the top half of a very tight division.
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