Report One
Linfield Ladies entertained League Champions Crusaders Newtownabbey Strikers at Ormeau Park on Wednesday night in their Davisons Frudles NIWFA Premier League tie. In an exciting game Linfield eventually ran out 4-2 down and should consider themselves unfortunate to be on the wrong end of that scoreline.
Linfeld started brightly in blustery conditions cancelling out the strikers midfield threat of Murphy and McDowell with Ennis and Nesbitt working very hard indeed. McGuinness on the left was again producing the goods with some fantastic runs down the wing. It is hard to believe this girl is still 6mths shy of her 16th birthday and after twenty five minutes brought an excellent save from former international Angela Platt in the vistors goal with a stunning 20yd drive.
Strikers though snatched the lead almost immediately with Harpur sneaking round the back of the defence and fired home from ten yards after latching onto a splendid pass from midfield. Heads did not go down and ten minutes later McGuinness picking the ball up 30 yds out ran inside, turned outside and fired a tremendous drive over Platt into the goal. Both sides continued to press looking for the advantage and at halftime the score remained all square.
Second half saw the blues play into a strong wind, however they continued to press and harry their more experienced opponents causing a few scares for the visitors. Twenty minutes in saw Gray lay the ball back to Strachan whose first tome cross into the box saw Nelson stretch her head to the ball only to direct it past Platt to put Linfield ahead.
This really did upset the Strikers, who rallied and made their experience and strength tell. They moved up a gear going all out to get level and the movement and determination saw them open the Linfield defence a few times with Fagan coming to the rescue with three fantastic saves. That said it took a really dubious penalty to bring them level. With McDowell racing onto the ball and baring down on goal Linfield right back Morton put in a tremendous tackle to clear for a corner. Sliding in it appeared clear as daylight she played the ball however her momentum carried her through and collided with McDowell. Referee McNabb astonishly pointed to the spot which McDowell converted herself.
Linfield again fought back still pushing forward and trying to play good football. Once again though greater experience told with two quick strikes in the last ten minutes easing Strikers home. Firstly McKenna broke the defensive line to fire past Fagan and then Nelson picking the ball up on the half way line waltzed through the defence and scored what was a fantastic goal.
For the second week running the Ladies have not let themselves down against much more experienced and physically stronger players. Last seasons league champions were given a game and a few scares throughout the match from this young team.
Neil Morrow commented, “This is the second game in a row against the top two sides in Ladies football that I cant complain about the performance. We are learning all the time and can take heart from the performances if not the results, that we are heading in the right direction. If we can maintain this standard we should do much better in the second half of the season”
Linfield Ladies next game is on Monday night away to Mid Ulster Ladies at the Mid Ulster Sports Plex.
Report Two
Last night’s game in the NIWFA’s Davisons Frudles Premier League was played at Ormeau Park, dominated by blustery conditions which played a direct role in two goals and gave both teams an advantage when the wind was in their favour. Linfield will consider themselves somewhat unlucky to lose this game having held led for a short period in the second half but the match statistics indicate the overall domination acheived by Strikers which led to their creation of 16 attempts on goal, 13 of which were on target and 4 of which were subsequently converted. Kirsty McGuinness was the standout player for Linfield and her pace and skill on the left wing kept the Strikers defence busy in the first half. Her 20 yard shot from outside the box brought a full stretch save from Angela Platt on 12’. However, two minutes later, Strikers were the first to open the score on 14’ when Terri Harper latched onto a wonderful assist ball over the defensive four from centre forward Helen McKenna to put the ball past the impressive Lucy Fagan in the Linfield goal. Linfield applied themselves well and got their due return on 30’ when their concerted pressure applied to a loose ball played across the Strikers’ defence was won by McGuinness and her shot from 25 yards gave keeper Platt little or not chance in the Strikers goal. McGuinness’s shot was lifted well and with the wind at her back, it rattled the top right hand corner of the net to make the score 1-1 at half time. Strikers right midfield Connolly was replaced by Patterson in the first half to leave the match result wide open at half time.
The second half ultimately proved to be a resurgence from Strikers with the wind direction to their advantage. Indeed, it was the wind that played a crucial role in the opening score in the second half on 58’ though in this case it led to first blood to the Blues. An early cross from Linfield’s midfielder Strachan was held up by the wind and a mistimed back header from right back Steff Dickinson beat Platt in the Strikers goal. This was the one of the last real chances created by Linfield in the second half and it was Strikers who slowly but confidently reasserted their footballing skills to retake the lead. Lucy Fagan kept the Blues in the game for a 20 minute period in the second half before Strikers’ Danielle McDowell was adjudged to have been fouled in the penalty box by Linfield right back Morton. Linfield can consider themselves unfortunate in this regard as Morton’s contact with the ball was clear but McDowell did not miss the subsequent penalty kick on 65’. Julie Nelson’s scintillating run from the heart of the Strikers’ defense on 77’ carved open the Linfield centre midfield and defense in a Moses-like fashion and enabled her to beat Fagan in a one-on-one. Terri Harper got her second of the game on 82’ from excellent footwork from Danielle McDowell to retain possession and keep Strikers’ onside before she released Harper. This brought the final score to 4-2 in favour of the visitors.
Strikers’ welcomed back their international players Nelson, McDowell and McKenna from their recent unlucky defeat in Estonia and all three played a central role, none more so than McKenna whose selfless running off the ball caused endless problems for the Linfield defence and created vital space for her centre forward partner. Lynsey Patterson’s return to right midfield brought much desired solidity and captain Nadine Murphy’s physical presence in midfield was a crucial platform in the second half. The result keeps Strikers top of the league and their next match is at home to Newbridge Predators on Monday 14 June at the Valley Leisure Centre, kick off 7pm.
Report by: Dr Katie Liston
