Maidenhead United Women recorded a third FAWNL win of the season on Sunday to consolidate a position in the top half of the table with just one more scheduled match before the Christmas break, away at Bristol Rovers on Sunday 7th December.
Manager Dave Kitson made two changes to the side which had defeated Tier 5 outfit Ashford Town on their own patch on Thursday night in the Combined Counties League Cup. With Charley Evans rested in midweek returning to the centre of defence, Molly McKeever oved to right back and th consistent Katie Vince took a place on the bench for this one. Influential midfielder Katie Akerman was unavailable and Martha Riley took her place for her fourth start of the season.
Only goal difference separated United and visitors Bournemouth Sports prior to kick off, but Maidenhead looked light-years ahead of the Dorset side inside a spring-heeled opening ten minutes when they took a grip on the match that they never relinquished. Within forty-one seconds Maidenhead had the lead; kicking off, 9 United players touched the ball and 13 passes were completed with captain Sim O’Brien’s cross turned in by Megan Harper, meaning that Sports first touch of the ball came when ‘keeper Jess Vallis – later voted player of the match by her own colleagues and staff – retrieved it from her own net. Before Sports had chance to settle Kelly Fripp tripped Izzy Stockton – who scored a hattrick in midweek – with the Magpies prolific forward stepping up and scoring from the penalty spot.
Lesser sides may have thrown in the towel at this point but Sports, to their immense credit, playing downhill in the first half dominated much of the possession and territory for the remainder of the first forty-five minutes. Probing and looking to work their way through towards goal they were largely frustrated by a very well drilled Magpies back line, with Evans partnering Myah Baksh for the first time. In the second period it was United who looked most likely to score next; Stockton was denied a certain goal twice by the heroics of Vallis, former Magpie Ruth Topping then cleared a chance off the line with Stockton seemingly destined to score before neither Aaliyah Charles nor Sarah Sparrow were able to squeeze the ball into the net to give Maidenhead daylight as time ticked down. Hannah Bennett lobbed a clever injury time consolation and the visitors bemoaned an earlier handball shout in the penalty area as Maidenhead’s fast start prevailed
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