Workington Town Women travelled to Fleetwood Town on Sunday to face the Wren’s First Team in the Alliance Design and Print Plate competition.
Their opponents are currently sitting in the middle of the Premier Division, one division higher than Workington and as such the task that faced Town wasn’t going to be easy.
However, a performance fuelled by desire and determination ensured that the West Cumbrians gave a great account of themselves and slight shifts in fine margins may well have seen them in the final themselves.
Town were faced with an early setback as they conceded with only 24 seconds of the game played.
A ball pumped forward from a Fleetwood centre back, was met by Emily Jones inside the visitors penalty area.
Jones displayed real quality as she waited for the ball to drop into her path before striking with a one touch finished across Keeper Laura Miller, to find the far corner and put the hosts ahead.
Fleetwood taking an early lead served to light the blue touch paper for the game, with the host harbouring ambitions to dominate and with Town defiant in the quest to fight to regain parity.
The sides went blow for blow in the middle of the park with controlled aggression and high energy evident throughout. Moments of quality proved difficult for either side to establish due to the work served up out of possession to contain.
Town’s first look at goal came from a long range looping shot from Chloe Henderson with 10 minutes gone. The flight of the ball drawing particular attention from the Wren’s Keeper Chloe O’Neill before she took control.
In a game decided on fine margins, Town found themselves frustrated for the first time when a free kick from Linzi Donaldson on the right was unfortunate not to find Hayley Bracken at the back post.
The strikers run had given her the advantage and with an open net looming an inch or two lower ball flight would have seen the visitors level.
Town’s keeper Laura Miller was called in to action soon after and produced a solid save to her right to deny the home attack.
The battle continued throughout the first half before a well worked move from Town looked to have given them a chance late in the first half.
Fullback Tiegan Hargrave had linked well with Bracken centrally, who in turn released a pass to meet Kirsten Donald’s attacking run. Donald went on to see her strike from a tight angle hitting the post before realising she had been adjudged offside.
The game continued in the second half with the same intensity that was apparent throughout the first.
Fleetwood took the first real look at goal after 10 minutes of the game restarting, forcing Miller in to another solid diving save to her left and keeping the Wren’s at bay.
Town threatened again on the hour mark and again were unlucky not to find the back of the net.
A teasing free kick from Cassie Donald on the on the right, found Bracken unopposed at the back post. In similar fashion to the earlier chance, the quality of delivery was apparent as too was the desire to attack, but again, a few inches in flight made the difference and the chance was gone.
Solid pressing by Morgan McGrady after 75 minutes put the Fleetwood defence under telling pressure, resulting in the striker forcing a corner from the left.
Nat Broad stepped up to take it and delivered her trademark quality delivery in to the box. Bracken attacked the front post but was unable to influence, however the trajectory was goal bound from the delivery as it tracked its way to the back of the net and in doing so levelling the game.
The whistle blew after 90 minutes with the game all square, a fair outcome on balance of play.
The host took the lead again for the second time in the 6th minute of extra time, after good work on their left resulted with a dangerous delivery in to the box which was turned goal bound by Lou Allen.
Town were left with no choice but to push on looking for an equalising goal. The ensuing formation change was always going to leave them susceptible to conceding, which was exactly what happened when a break from the home half released Brooke Mulholland in to space and finishing well to seal the result.
Town had given their all for the full 120 minutes and matched their higher ranked opponents in all aspects of the game. On reviewing the performance, the only thing that might have separated the two teams, was Fleetwood’s familiarity of working at a higher intensity.
Keeley Chatters was awarded the player of the game for Town after a solid display at the back, this being a trait that’s became expected of the talented player in her first season with Town Women.
After the game, manager Paul Mackenzie said, “I couldn’t be more proud of our performance today. We matched them in most if not all aspects of the game and we represented our club in a magnificent manner in everything we done.
“There’s obvious disappointment in losing the game and on a different day, we maybe score twice at the back post to get us over the line. Some times the ball falls right for you, but sadly for us today it didn’t.
“We now look forward to our final few games and our aims to finish our first season as Workington Town Women on a high in the County Cup Final against Carlisle at the end of April.”
