Spits battle to a win with Robins.
A Hayley Huckin strike five minutes from time earned Swindon Spitfires maximum points after letting a 2-0 lead slip against Bridgwater Town. After Spitfires won the away game 4-1 just two weeks ago the Somerset side came prepared, and made the home team work a lot harder for their win.
Spitfires started brightly enough with Karyn Coombs crossing for Beth Turner to fire just over inside the first 40 seconds. In the 9th minute Ria Salleh latched onto an Emma Skinner pass out to the left before crossing to Turner who pulled the ball back for Cara Costello only for her shot to go wide.
Spitfires were rewarded for their pressure in the 12th minute when Coombs broke clear of the defence with a great through ball from Huckin before beating keeper Daisy Goldsmith at the near post for her first goal for the club. She could have had a second a minute later but fired a Salleh cross just over the bar.
At the other end, Bridgwater created a few chances of their own but didn’t trouble keeper Tamsin Kellett until the 15th minute when Samantha Brass fired what looked like a perfectly placed shot to the top left corner, only for Kellett to dive full length and tip it round the post with her left hand; a real top-draw save of the highest quality that preserved Spitfires’ lead.
Spitfires doubled their advantage in the 23rd minute when Hannah Gulliver played the ball through the middle of the defence for Salleh to outpace her marker before rolling the ball calmly past the advancing Goldsmith.
Bridgwater were gifted a goal in the 43rd minute to half the deficit when an innocuous back pass hit a divot just as Kellett was about to kick it and the ball bobbled over her foot and into the net with no Bridgwater player within 25 yards.
Bizarre though the goal was, it buoyed Bridgwater and they got a second within a minute to level the score. With Spitfires still reeling from their earlier misfortune a ball out wide to the right found Anusia Rourke who placed her shot well past Kellett and into the far corner.
Spitfires tried hard to regain the lead in the second half but Bridgwater were a different side than a fortnight ago and were in no mood to surrender the points without a fight.
Sarah Uzzell almost restored Spitfires’ advantage in the 53rd minute when a Sammie Smith clearance glanced of the head of a Bridgwater defender to see her clean through, but the ball ran away from her and Goldsmith was able to claim it right on the edge of her area in the nick of time.
Skinner then brought the best out of Goldsmith in the 70th minute when her drive was tipped round the post at full stretch; and the resultant corner from Smith was tipped onto the roof of the net by the impressive keeper.
Spitfires thought they had the winner on 81 minutes when Smith played in Katie Wadey who rounded Goldsmith and found the back of the net before being pulled back by the offside flag for what must have been a very tight call.
But just as it was looking like two points dropped Spitfires got their deserved breakthrough in the 85th minute. Skinner and Wadey combined to win the ball in the middle before the former found Huckin wide on the right, and the seasoned striker calmly lifted the ball over the head of the advancing Goldsmith and into the net from the edge of the 18 yard area.
It was tough on Bridgwater who worked so hard to take a point away with them, but over the game as a whole it was Spitfires who had created the best, and most, chances and were therefore deserved winners.
Next Sunday sees Spitfires host Swindon Town Ladies in the semi-final of the Wiltshire FA Cup. The game is a 2pm kick-off at The Elms in Highworth, and entrance is free.
Spitfires’ under 17s kept their Oxford Girls League title hopes alive with a 5-0 win over Bloxham, with Sarah Uzzell netting four times. The first came just two minutes into the game when she latched onto a Kelsey Deacon through ball and placed her shot wide of the Bloxham keeper.
Amy Mathews almost doubled the lead a minute later from a Hayley Shipp pass, but the keeper managed to stop her shot from squirming through her legs just in time with Mathews closing in on her.
Uzzell’s second came on 23 minutes, and the third for minutes later from a Georgia Coward pass.
Spitfires’ fourth goal came just before halftime when Cheyenne Clarks’ shot hit the far post and bounced back over the line and into the net. And ten minutes into the second half Uzzell grabbed her fourth and Spitfires’ fifth.
Bloxham had more of the game in the second half but it wasn’t until the last 15 minutes that they forced Spitfires’ keeper Becky Kench into meaningful action; after long periods of inactivity it was to her credit that she stayed alert and pulled off a couple of good saves to give Spitfires a clean sheet.
Also in the Oxford League the under 12s racked up an 8-0 win over Harwell & Hendred with goals from Aimee Prinzi (3), Shannon King (2), Courtney Gleed, Genevieve Bayliss, and an own goal.
Whilst in the Wiltshire Girls League the under 13s were 9-2 winners over Frome Youth thanks to goals from Tamzin Davis (3), Gipsy Viveash (2), Lois Beer, Sophie Roberts, Hollie Timbrell, and Ashleigh Warwick.
Thanks Mike Skinner for the report.
Gallery:
