Match Report
With league leaders Howden Clough not having a match today, Sheffield FC Ladies had the chance to go back to the top of the table for the first time since October, an opportunity they took full advantage of as they left Ossett Albion with maximum points. Never a place where Sheffield have performed well, and have only ever won once, the visitors knew they were in for a tough afternoon and changed their formation to try to break down their opponents. It was a tactic that took time to adjust to, but proved successful in the end as they registered their twelfth clean sheet and eighth successive league win.
On a superb playing surface for this time of year, the game started very evenly with both sides applying pressure to their opponent's goal. Sheffield created the first real chance with a good cross swung in from the left by Lynne Grainger which Clare Holmes did well to get her head to, but the ball looped away passed the far post for a goal kick. Moments later, an Ossett Albion attack brought Caz Whiteman into action with a good save off a shot from the edge of a crowded Sheffield penalty area. Back up the other end, Holmes set up Rachel Charles after a nice Sheffield move which the young winger hit over the bar. A minute later and Charles whipped in a dangerous cross which was helped on by Lisa Giampalma and just evaded Grainger sliding in at the far post. It was a good spell of pressure from the visitors which should have seen them take the lead on 20 minutes when an excellent darting run from Nell Taylor finished with the captain playing a perfect pass across the face of goal to Holmes who somehow managed to slice her shot wide from six yards out.
Ossett tried to mount some attacks of their own with long balls up to the front pairing but the Sheffield defence dealt well with these and Whiteman was quick off her line on several occasions to sweep up any danger. With half an hour gone, Sheffield took the lead when Holmes was shoved over in the penalty area, and Whiteman stepped up to dispatch a powerful spot kick just to the left of her opposite number. Ossett responded straight away with a strong run up the right which was brought to an abrupt end thanks to a brilliant covering tackle by Lauren Davids. The play started to become somewhat scrappy and Sheffield struggled to really piece together any meaningful attacks as they were hurried and hassled by the hard-working Ossett midfield. Gemma Gale received a ball full in the face which brought about a short delay as she was cleaned up, and Sheffield seemed to settle down a bit after this and finished the half in slightly better form.
Ossett Albion mounted the first attack of the second half with a good break up the right, but some superb defending by Kate Rowell snuffed out the threat as she won the ball, dribbled out of defence, and got Sheffield moving again. Holmes was involved in a chase to beat the Ossett no. 1 to a long punt forward which the goalkeeper just reached first and did well to flick the ball away from the Sheffield striker. On 51 minutes, the visitors struck again with the crucial second goal when a trademark corner from Gale was delivered right into the danger area and met by the head of Charles who directed a bullet header into the top right corner. Jubilation and relief for Sheffield which allowed the visitors to settle and start to play much more assured football. Holmes was denied another good shooting chance by a fantastic sliding tackle from Jo Barnes at the back for Ossett, just before a Gale corner was narrowly flicked passed the post by Holmes' head.
Space was opening up for Sheffield with Giampalma covering so much ground in the middle of the park, and fullbacks Christina Wright and Nat Crofts both doing well to break down Ossett's attacks up the wings. Grainger gave way to Helen Wakefield on the left wing after 69 minutes, and five minutes later the substitute had made the game safe as she scored Sheffield's third of the afternoon. A back pass was handled by Ossett's keeper and quick thinking from Holmes saw her play the resulting free kick across the box to Giampalma whose shot was scuffed wide and fell to Wakefield at the far post to slot the ball home from five yards out.
Lisa Bailey and Jodie Crofts were then brought into the action with Gale and Charles making way, and Sheffield enjoyed the final 15 minutes of the game with some excellent attacking football and possession in the Ossett half. A great driving run from Bailey almost resulted in Sheffield's top scorer this season adding another to her tally, but the keeper was smartly off her line to prevent Bailey from shooting after a neat one-two with Giampalma on the edge of the box. Holmes was unlucky not to get her head on a corner from the right with the keeper just getting her fingertips to it ahead of the striker and averting the threat of a fourth goal, and the referee brought proceedings to an end soon after.
After a nervous 45 minutes, Sheffield had settled down in the second half to play some excellent football again, and were good value for their three points. As the pressure mounts in these last few weeks of the season, the team will need to draw on all their resilience and resolve in order to get the results they need in the remaining four games to win the prize they so desperately want.
Teams:
Ossett Albion LFC: Nallon, Tantrum, Barnes, Proctor, Powch, Dobson, Patterson, Atkinson, Westmoreland (Hart 76), Corbett (Smith 58), Zserdicky (Craine 76)
Sheffield FC Ladies: Whiteman, N Crofts, Davids, Rowell, Wright, Charles (J Crofts 79), Gale (Bailey 76), Giampalma, Taylor, Grainger (Wakefield 69), Bailey, Holmes
Goals: Whiteman 30 (pen), Charles 51, Wakefield 74
Player of the Match: Kate Rowell
|
