Our County Ladies team made it back-to-back away wins on Wednesday night, as they stormed to a 4-1 victory away at local rivals, Chorley.
First-team Manager, Steve O’Hara takes us through the game:
“We went into the Wednesday night game at Chorley looking to build on a good away win at FC United on Sunday. It had been a very wet day in Lancashire, but thankfully that stopped in time for kick-off and the pitch at Victoria Park was in excellent condition.
“We had made several changes from Sunday with the aim of keeping everyone fresh, and the team started on the front foot.
“In the third minute of the game Jess Gillin, playing against her old club, was sent clear of the defence by Maria Figueiredo, beating the offside trap and coolly rounding the ‘keeper before slotting into the empty net.
“A good spell of possession followed and on seven minutes, a carbon copy move saw Jess running clear again, with the same end result – taking it around the ‘keeper and tapping home. This time, it was Hanifa Douglas who provided the killer pass.
“Chorley got a foothold in the game after about 15 mins and we found it hard to play through the lines, because of good shape by our opponents. Their pressure paid off when a poor clearance lead to a floated ball to the back post, with their striker heading in over the outstretched arm of Meg Hunter.
“Chorley then had a good shout for a penalty when Nefa Douglas made contact with their player, but the referee waved play on, much to our relief!
“We managed the game until half-time, and were happy to be going into the break with a slender lead. We made a few tactical tweaks at half-time as we asserted our game plan again, and started to look a lot more comfortable in keeping possession and making good progress in their half.
“Following a couple of corners, we got what we felt we deserved. A well worked set-piece routine on 57 minutes was headed in by Harriet Houghton, following a Kenedy Owen delivery. That seemed to really knock the stuffing out of our opponents and now we were on top in the game.
“That allowed us to make a couple of changes and get fresh legs on as we enjoyed a lot of the ball, although Chorley were still a threat on the counter attack.
“In the 72nd minute we grabbed our fourth, again from another corner. This time Levi Rathburn swung the ball directly in, eluding the host’s ‘keeper, who could only palm it into the far corner of the net.
“To their credit Chorley continued to keep us honest and hit the post late on from a well worked counter attack, but we saw the game through to record back-to-back wins in the league for the first time this season.
“It was another really important three points for us away from home, which lifts us to 5th in the table.
“There is quite a break now to allow for cup games to be played. Our girls have a much deserved break, and preparations will start again next week for our FA Cup trip to Guisborough Town on 22nd October.”
