Following our ‘Women’s Football Special’ show on the Grassroots Football Show last week I thought it apt I’d go and see a Womens game at the weekend and I decided to visit Bridge Avenue in Upminster (home of AFC Hornchurch of course) for an FA Womens Premier LeagueSouthern Division game between West Ham United LFC and Coventry United LFC.
This is the third tier in the Womens game below the Womens Super League One and Two so its a very decent level of football and at just a fiver to get in very good value too. The visitors sat fourth in the table looking for a win that would take them above Cardiff City LFC into third spot whilst the Hammers were down in eighth place (in a league of 14 teams) some seventeen points behind their opponents.
The opponents therefore were probably fancying their chances of victory and they started on the front foot, volleying just wide with their first attack and then on five minutes forced hosts keeper Sanderson into a brilliant save from point blank range although a minute later the breakthrough did come when a long range free kick from Helen Dermody beat keeper Sanderson and gave United the early lead.
The visitors continued to dominate proceedings and on 18 minutes saw a second goal, again from long range and again from Dermody’s right boot, flying past hosts keeper Sanderson into the corner of the net. Coventry were sensing more goals and a third duly arrived on 26 minutes and guess what, it was another long range effort, this time a free kick from the edge of the box from Maz Gauntlett, who chipped her effort beyond Sanderson into the far corner.
It was so nearly four for the visitors two minutes later as well when they chased down a poor touch from Sanderson and after winning the ball off her saw the follow up effort from Dermody saved for a corner. However it was only a brief rest bite as the visitors did make it four from the resulting corner as centre half Nat Lynch ghosted into the box unmarked and saw her powerful close range header parried by Sanderson but the ball just went over the line before being hacked away.
It had been a disastrous half from the Hammers and they would need to come out after the break with much more purpose if they were to salvage any pride from this encounter.
Half Time West Ham United LFC 0 Coventry United LFC 4
To their credit the hosts came out and immediately went on the offensive and try and salvage something from the contest and five minutes into the half finally had a shot on target as they definitely started the half the better. Whether the visitors had not come out with the same intensity or not may have had something to do with it but the Hammers were finally making a game of it.
Despite this the visitors came close to adding a fifth nine minutes into the second half when Gauntlett’s chip over Sanderson glanced off the bar and over and just before the hour mark saw a volley go inches wide before a header across goal also went inches wide of the hosts goal. The hosts though continued to have most of the play and just past the hour mark a good break from the hosts saw a final effort straight at keeper Wood although if the ball had been played square earlier the hosts would of been in on goal.
After another good spell for the hosts it was them who so nearly conceded again on 66 minutes when a shot hit the underside of the bar before the close range follow up went over but this didn’t deter the more improved Hammers in this second half who were causing problems down the right through Sherwood and it was her who had a decent chance with just under fifteen minutes left when she got down the right beyond the full back but her rising effort just went over the bar.
The Hammers continued to try and grab a goal or two but failed to breach the Coventry defence and the game ended in a 4-0 success for the visitors although the hosts could take great heart from their second half performance. Sadly the damage had already been done in the opening half hour of the contest and left the Hammers a mountain to climb. United go third following this victory whilst West Ham remain eighth.
Full Time West Ham United LFC 0 Coventry United LFC 4
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