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Match Report

2nd September 2012

Greater Manchester Women's Football League Division 1

Broadhurst Playing Field, Moston Lane, Moston, Manchester, M40 5QD


FC United of Manchester Women

10 - 0

Uppermill Ladies FC

 
Attendance: N/K

FC United of Manchester Women 10

Uppermill Ladies FC 0

Attendance: N/K



Match Report
With a tough pre season over it was time to begin the first competitive chapter for FC United of Manchester women’s team with an opening day home fixture against fellow league debutants Uppermill Ladies FC.

After an overcast morning the sun made a welcome afternoon appearance for the dawn of a new era and the first competitive game FC United has staged in Moston, M40. Home for the ‘Women in Red’ this season is the Broadhurst Playing Fields adjacent to where we hope our permanent home will be in the not too distant future.

Up went the nets, in went the corner flags and boundary viewing rope, up went the Newton Heath Supporter’s Branch flag, a damsel in distress was rescued from the changing room toilets and the stage was set for a historic occasion as referee, Paul Connett, led both teams from the dressing rooms onto the nearest pitch of the seven that adorn the historic playing fields. Many had been ploughed during the morning stampede of Sunday League games but the chosen pitch for today’s game had held up well ready for the only afternoon encounter – besides some lads having a kick around, a couple of dog walkers and a family trying to fly a kite – on the Broadhurst fields.

FC United kicked off but it was the Ladies of Uppermill in their all blue strip who launched the first attack, gaining possession and moving the ball forward quickly down the right for their number 7 Ashleigh Jackson to get a shot away that was calmly fielded by FC goalkeeper and captain Amy Gillingham. Gillingham wasted no time in getting the ball forward and it found its way through to FC centre forward Hayley O’Hara whose chipped shot cleared Vicky Hodgekiss in the Uppermill goal and rolled into the unguarded net for the first competitive goal for FC United women with only two minutes on the clock.

FC United began to dictate the play and on seven minutes forced consecutive corners that saw Beth Tattersall and O’Hara come close before Uppermill launched a counter attack seeing Jackson shoot from range without troubling the goal. FC left back, Lucy Golding then set United on the attack once more with a fantastic defence splitting pass that the lively O’Hara latched onto, only to steer her shot narrowly wide of the keeper’s left upright.

Just a minute later and FC United doubled their lead as a Beth Hayes’ through ball found the tricky Maya Germain on the left who threaded a ball into the feet of Claire O’Reilly inside the area. Despite the close attentions of two defenders, O’Reilly turned well and fired a shot goal wards that deflected beyond the wrong footed Hodgekiss to make the score 2-0 on 17 minutes. By now dominating possession, United forced another corner swung into the danger area by O’Reilly and in the ensuing penalty area chaos, Hayes kept her cool to loop a header over the hapless Hodgekiss to add a third to the score sheet on 22 minutes.

With the FC defence holding a high line, a rare lapse in concentration saw Uppermill’s Rebecca Hall rob the ball from centre half Jade Challender to bear down on the FC goal. However, covering centre half Amy Vyas was quickly across to snuff out the danger before Hall could get her shot away.
Normal service was resumed as another excellent pass from Golding this time pinpointed the run of O’Hara who made no mistake in firing low across the keeper to secure her second and FC’s fourth of the afternoon on 36 minutes.
The half closed with no further goals but a couple of close efforts, as first Adora Yau’s chip cleared the bar closely followed by an O’Reilly shot that span agonisingly wide of the goal.

Uppermill got the second half underway and much like the first began on the front foot, pressing FC United back until the impressive O’Reilly brought the ball away from danger and moved through the gears to outstrip the back peddling Uppermill defence and storm into the area to fire low and hard across the keeper to put a second United player on a hatrick and clock up five for the team two minutes after the break.

Just a minute later Germain scored a well deserved half volley after good work on the right by Hayes and O’Hara. The seventh goal came seven minutes later when a good save by Hodgekiss fell kindly into the path of O’Hara who fired into the roof of the net to bag a first FC United women’s hat-trick. Unfortunately, in the build up to the goal, Uppermill’s number 3, Abbie Barlow was injured and had to leave the pitch for treatment. We wish her a speedy recovery.

Just moments after the restart, O’Hara capped a fine individual performance scoring her fourth and United’s eighth goal of the afternoon as she burst into the box and whilst under pressure from a covering defender, slid in to squeeze the ball under the advancing keeper.

With twenty left on the clock, Hodgekiss swapped her keeper shirt with an outfield colleague to see if the FC tide could be stemmed and it looked like the move had paid off until a long range effort from left back Golding, aimed low and true, cruelly bobbled over the stand-in keeper’s hands on its way into the bottom corner for United’s ninth of the afternoon on 75 minutes.

Just two minutes later and FC United thought they had a tenth when O’Hara met a good cross with a superb header which left the keeper with no chance only for the referee to adjudge the effort offside.

However United were not to be denied a historic opening day double figure score line as Germain once again found plenty of space down the left and cut back a superb low cross that narrowly evaded O’Hara, only for O’Reilly to complete her hatrick and the afternoon’s scoring by slotting in from close range at the far post.

A fantastic performance and convincing victory in their first game left the 40 spectators and Holly the Jack Russell with no doubt they had witnessed a significant and historic episode in the development of this great club of ours. Well done to all concerned and undoubtedly there will be sterner tests ahead with Oldham Athletic scoring 11 on the opening day and Manchester City 9 but, we should savour the moment and take the form and confidence into the next game on 9 September against Middleton Athletic.

Report by Rob Fullen

Player of the match: Claire O’Reilly, in a game where every FC United player contributed superbly, Claire showed tremendous industry and pace covering almost every blade of grass and bagging herself a well deserved hatrick.

Match Details:

FC United Women 10
Uppermill Ladies FC 0

FC United Team:
1 Amy Gillingham – captain – Goal Keeper
5 Broghan Matthews – right back
3 Lucy Golding – left back (Goal 75 mins)
16 Amy Vyas – centre half
6 Jade Challender – centre half
10 Beth Tattersall – right midfield
15 Adora Yau – centre midfield
17 Beth Hayes – centre midfield (Goal 22 mins)
18 Claire O’Reilly - centre midfield (Goals 17, 47 & 85 mins)
8 Maya Germain – left midfield (Goal 48 mins)
12 Hayley O’Hara – centre forward (Goals 2, 36, 55 & 57 mins)

Subs:
14 Jessica Wynne (for No5 46 minutes)
19 Olivia Greenhaugh (for No15 60 minutes)
15 Adora Yau (Roll on Roll Off Sub for No10 86 minutes)

Uppermill Ladies FC:

1 Vicky Hodgekiss
3 Abbie Barlow
4 Jess Hardie
5 Holly Johnson
7 Ashleigh Jackson
8 Michelle Hewwitt
9 Caroline Pinches – captain
10 Sinead Deegan
11 Rebecca Hall
12 Kim Buckley
14 Marie Bottom
Match Report
With a tough pre season over it was time to begin the first competitive chapter for FC United of Manchester women’s team with an opening day home fixture against fellow league debutants Uppermill Ladies FC.

After an overcast morning the sun made a welcome afternoon appearance for the dawn of a new era and the first competitive game FC United has staged in Moston, M40. Home for the ‘Women in Red’ this season is the Broadhurst Playing Fields adjacent to where we hope our permanent home will be in the not too distant future.

Up went the nets, in went the corner flags and boundary viewing rope, up went the Newton Heath Supporter’s Branch flag, a damsel in distress was rescued from the changing room toilets and the stage was set for a historic occasion as referee, Paul Connett, led both teams from the dressing rooms onto the nearest pitch of the seven that adorn the historic playing fields. Many had been ploughed during the morning stampede of Sunday League games but the chosen pitch for today’s game had held up well ready for the only afternoon encounter – besides some lads having a kick around, a couple of dog walkers and a family trying to fly a kite – on the Broadhurst fields.

FC United kicked off but it was the Ladies of Uppermill in their all blue strip who launched the first attack, gaining possession and moving the ball forward quickly down the right for their number 7 Ashleigh Jackson to get a shot away that was calmly fielded by FC goalkeeper and captain Amy Gillingham. Gillingham wasted no time in getting the ball forward and it found its way through to FC centre forward Hayley O’Hara whose chipped shot cleared Vicky Hodgekiss in the Uppermill goal and rolled into the unguarded net for the first competitive goal for FC United women with only two minutes on the clock.

FC United began to dictate the play and on seven minutes forced consecutive corners that saw Beth Tattersall and O’Hara come close before Uppermill launched a counter attack seeing Jackson shoot from range without troubling the goal. FC left back, Lucy Golding then set United on the attack once more with a fantastic defence splitting pass that the lively O’Hara latched onto, only to steer her shot narrowly wide of the keeper’s left upright.

Just a minute later and FC United doubled their lead as a Beth Hayes’ through ball found the tricky Maya Germain on the left who threaded a ball into the feet of Claire O’Reilly inside the area. Despite the close attentions of two defenders, O’Reilly turned well and fired a shot goal wards that deflected beyond the wrong footed Hodgekiss to make the score 2-0 on 17 minutes. By now dominating possession, United forced another corner swung into the danger area by O’Reilly and in the ensuing penalty area chaos, Hayes kept her cool to loop a header over the hapless Hodgekiss to add a third to the score sheet on 22 minutes.

With the FC defence holding a high line, a rare lapse in concentration saw Uppermill’s Rebecca Hall rob the ball from centre half Jade Challender to bear down on the FC goal. However, covering centre half Amy Vyas was quickly across to snuff out the danger before Hall could get her shot away.
Normal service was resumed as another excellent pass from Golding this time pinpointed the run of O’Hara who made no mistake in firing low across the keeper to secure her second and FC’s fourth of the afternoon on 36 minutes.
The half closed with no further goals but a couple of close efforts, as first Adora Yau’s chip cleared the bar closely followed by an O’Reilly shot that span agonisingly wide of the goal.

Uppermill got the second half underway and much like the first began on the front foot, pressing FC United back until the impressive O’Reilly brought the ball away from danger and moved through the gears to outstrip the back peddling Uppermill defence and storm into the area to fire low and hard across the keeper to put a second United player on a hatrick and clock up five for the team two minutes after the break.

Just a minute later Germain scored a well deserved half volley after good work on the right by Hayes and O’Hara. The seventh goal came seven minutes later when a good save by Hodgekiss fell kindly into the path of O’Hara who fired into the roof of the net to bag a first FC United women’s hat-trick. Unfortunately, in the build up to the goal, Uppermill’s number 3, Abbie Barlow was injured and had to leave the pitch for treatment. We wish her a speedy recovery.

Just moments after the restart, O’Hara capped a fine individual performance scoring her fourth and United’s eighth goal of the afternoon as she burst into the box and whilst under pressure from a covering defender, slid in to squeeze the ball under the advancing keeper.

With twenty left on the clock, Hodgekiss swapped her keeper shirt with an outfield colleague to see if the FC tide could be stemmed and it looked like the move had paid off until a long range effort from left back Golding, aimed low and true, cruelly bobbled over the stand-in keeper’s hands on its way into the bottom corner for United’s ninth of the afternoon on 75 minutes.

Just two minutes later and FC United thought they had a tenth when O’Hara met a good cross with a superb header which left the keeper with no chance only for the referee to adjudge the effort offside.

However United were not to be denied a historic opening day double figure score line as Germain once again found plenty of space down the left and cut back a superb low cross that narrowly evaded O’Hara, only for O’Reilly to complete her hatrick and the afternoon’s scoring by slotting in from close range at the far post.

A fantastic performance and convincing victory in their first game left the 40 spectators and Holly the Jack Russell with no doubt they had witnessed a significant and historic episode in the development of this great club of ours. Well done to all concerned and undoubtedly there will be sterner tests ahead with Oldham Athletic scoring 11 on the opening day and Manchester City 9 but, we should savour the moment and take the form and confidence into the next game on 9 September against Middleton Athletic.

Report by Rob Fullen

Player of the match: Claire O’Reilly, in a game where every FC United player contributed superbly, Claire showed tremendous industry and pace covering almost every blade of grass and bagging herself a well deserved hatrick.

Match Details:

FC United Women 10
Uppermill Ladies FC 0

FC United Team:
1 Amy Gillingham – captain – Goal Keeper
5 Broghan Matthews – right back
3 Lucy Golding – left back (Goal 75 mins)
16 Amy Vyas – centre half
6 Jade Challender – centre half
10 Beth Tattersall – right midfield
15 Adora Yau – centre midfield
17 Beth Hayes – centre midfield (Goal 22 mins)
18 Claire O’Reilly - centre midfield (Goals 17, 47 & 85 mins)
8 Maya Germain – left midfield (Goal 48 mins)
12 Hayley O’Hara – centre forward (Goals 2, 36, 55 & 57 mins)

Subs:
14 Jessica Wynne (for No5 46 minutes)
19 Olivia Greenhaugh (for No15 60 minutes)
15 Adora Yau (Roll on Roll Off Sub for No10 86 minutes)

Uppermill Ladies FC:

1 Vicky Hodgekiss
3 Abbie Barlow
4 Jess Hardie
5 Holly Johnson
7 Ashleigh Jackson
8 Michelle Hewwitt
9 Caroline Pinches – captain
10 Sinead Deegan
11 Rebecca Hall
12 Kim Buckley
14 Marie Bottom

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