Report & Reaction | Abingdon Take Adavntage As Magpies Bemoan Luck

 

Maidenhead United Women were left cursing their misfortune on Sunday afternoon as they were defeated by Abingdon United in a bizarre game at York Road. It was a strange game played in continual rain, with plenty of talking points along with two unfortunate first half injuries which changed the composition of the Maidenhead back line. 

 

It all started so well when Izzy Stockton slotted home a cross from the left by Chloe Webb at the far post, but the away side were level within three minutes as Molly Lygo-Jackson found herself in behind the Maidenhead defence and was able to finish past the advancing Cherry Preisner. In an action-packed match Maidenhead were close to reestablishing a lead when captain Libby Gilmore sliced a cross from her opposite number Simone O’Brien, the ball spinning narrowly over the top with goalkeeper Maisie Thompson seemingly beaten. 

 

Chloe Forrester had a glaring opportunity to give the visitors the lead when she snatched at her shot and fired wide when well placed to score. Just after the half hour the visitors had the most fortunate of goals when Erin Hartigan took aim ambitiously from the edge of the area, her shot blocked by a Maidenhead defender with the deflected ball spinning viciously off the wet turf and wrong footing Preisner who had no chance. Preisner then had to be quick off her line to deny Hartigan with United players and staff appealing in vain for an offside flag which never came, before two goals in first half stoppage time rather killed the game off. 

 

Firstly Hartigan seemed to start in an offside position before going through to beat Preisner. With United players and staff again querying the decision to allow play to continue, Maidenhead lost focus from kick off and conceded possession to Mollie Dyer who lofted home an impressive shot from range. 

 

Lygo-Jackson had a presentable chance to put the game beyond Maidenhead’s reach early in the second half before Maidenhead responded as Poppy Dearlove and substitute Tyra Wilson linked up for the latter to shoot over. A decision to award Abingdon a penalty kick was ultimately reversed when two of the match officials discussed the incident and Maidenhead’s luck was summed up with twenty minutes left as substitute Leah Robertson was put through after an Abingdon slip up, only to see her effort roll back to safety off the post. The loose ball was put back into the danger zone and Robertson headed the cross wide. 

 

Instead it was Abingdon who scored next, Dyer again scoring with another brilliantly-struck effort from range. Katie Akerman pulled a goal back with a long-distance free-kick but – alongside teenager Dani Dias – was one of two United players dismissed for a second caution, showing dissent at the latest in a long line of seemingly inconsistent and improbable decision making by the match officials on an afternoon better best forgotten. 

 

Preisner, Webb, Dover (sub Dias '46), Akerman, Dearlove, Stockton (sub Mitchell '67',) O'Brien (sub Robertson '46), Goulden, McKeever (sub Vince '45), Evans (sub Wilson '35), Huntley. Subs not used: Bloor, Cechova. 

 

 

Match highlights provided by FC Video are available HERE.