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Sunday January 14, 2007 Doncaster Rovers Belles 2 Leeds United Ladies 5 Doncaster: C.Farrow, E.Thomson, V.Leat, J.Love, C.Utley, M.Kerr, P.Hamill, V.Exley, C.Cantrell, K.Bevan, L.De Vanna (S.Hopper 82). Leeds: G.Fay, N.Emmanuelle, S.Bradley, J.Wright, A.Culvin, K.Burke, R.McArthur, N.Preston, S.Smith, A.Barr, L.Ward (J.Clarke 77). The Belles first appearance at the splendid new Keepmoat Stadium for the visit of Yorkshire rivals Leeds United Ladies, allied to an assortment of youth five a side competitions brought a bumper crowd to the ground. With the two teams coming out together and lining up in Champions League mode before performing a comprehensive shaking of hands ritual everything suggested this was a special occasion. Unfortunately only one side looked comfortable in the surroundings and ready to go to work in the early stages. Leeds are flying high in the Premier League and looked ready to impose themselves on their opponents from the first whistle. The Belles, on the other hand, looked nervous and tentative. Within minutes the home goal was under severe threat. New signing Amanda Barr posed the first questions of the Doncaster defence with a neat ball inside Vanessa Leat which set Karen Burke running towards the byeline but Claire Utley was able to head clear at the near post. Natalie Preston was soon piercing the centre of the Belles defence to put Lucy Ward clean through on goal but her finish was weak and straight at Clare Farrow who saved easily. The danger signals were all too evident, however. In the next attack Sue Smith made her first impression speeding past two static defenders to lash in a drive that Farrow did well to tip over. Natalie Preston whipped over a dangerous corner which was somehow smuggled behind with bodies strewn everywhere. After most of the carnage had been cleared Doncaster's Kelly Bevan, who had looked more uncomfortable than anyone in the opening stages, was left in a heap needing treatment. The uncertainty of the home side was demonstrated when Farrow rolled the ball to Bevan inside the area and her pass forward went straight to Smith 30 yards from goal. The winger made straight for the area and was clumsily felled on the corner of the box. The free kick was sent high to the far post where Sophie Bradley headed wide with Farrow having totally lost the flight. On ten minutes Doncaster made their first excursion into Leeds territory with Pauline Hamill feeding Emma Thomson whose through ball offered Bevan encouragement but Gemma Fay was out smartly to kick clear. This was an isolated raid and the visitors superiority became even more pronounced in the next few minutes as Preston and Rachel McArthur took complete control of the midfield. Sophie Bradley launched the first of her long throws into the Doncaster area and this caused complete panic in the defence but Preston sliced badly wide at the far post after four defenders had all contrived to miss the ball. Sue Smith set off on a driving run before sliding a pass into Preston who released Barr in on goal. Farrow was able to parry her first effort and then Michelle Kerr was able to block the strikers' follow up attempt. Hamill produced a clever turn to put in a dangerous ball for Carla Cantrell but again Fay was alert to the danger. The ball was quickly back in Doncaster territory and Smith was allowed to drift across the pitch to start another Leeds attack. Smith fed Nicole Emmanuelle, supporting quickly from full back, and she put in a great ball which had Preston and Farrow looking to get their first. Neither could manage a decisive contact but when the ball dropped loose Preston reacted sharply to turn home the opening goal. Fifteen minutes had passed and two minutes later the lead had been doubled. A pass forward found Barr and Ward offside but they let the ball go and Sue Smith was able to run through and claim possession. Having reached the goalline the winger played the ball back and now the two forwards were deemed to be onside. Barr could not reach the pass but Ward was able to stroke home via the post. What a stupid rule. One second they are not interfering with play, the next they are fighting each other over an open goal. Absolute nonsense and the officials are perfectly entitled to simply give offside. They are to judge if a player is interfering or seeking to gain an advantage. Surely all players are doing that all the time. On this occasion they were seeking to gain an advantage by not playing the ball. Just put your flag up. The lineswoman had even more reason to stick her flag up here as Smith might well have been offside herself. There could be no doubting that the visitors were well worth their two goal lead whatever the rights and wrongs of this goal though. The impressive Hamill neatly set up Thomson for a shot at goal from the edge of the box but her effort was dragged wide without giving Fay any cause for concern. Aside from the occasional moments of quality from Hamill, however, Doncaster were unable to mount any attacking situations. Carla Cantrell was isolated up front but her touch was lacking when the ball was played up to her and this inability to retain possession prevented any support reaching her. Lisa De Vanna showed her first moment of promise with a swift turn and a driving run before feeding Hamill. Her pass was diverted from its' intended target but fell kindly for Cantrell whose low drive brought a good low save from Fay down to her right. Leeds continued to ask almost all the questions, however. Lucy Ward produced a lovely touch to set Emmanuelle racing forward and her driven centre ended up spearing towards the far corner. Farrow was at full stretch and perhaps got a slight touch before the ball thudded into the angle of post and bar. The ball dropped straight to McArthur but with the goal gaping she could only stab wide. Ward was having an inspired spell setting up the play for Leeds and her next contribution was an electric turn and a perfect ball that had Smith through on goal. This was a less clear cut decision but this time the flag went up to stop the winger in her tracks. Barr produced her best moment so far with a decent run and probing centre that Bevan did well to turn behind for a corner. The opening half hour had been all Leeds with Preston and McArthur completely dominant and the Belles looking almost embarrassed to be on show to so many people. There was a sudden shift in emphasis, however, as Hamill was joined by De Vanna in posing some problems for the visitors and Leeds perhaps suffered a little complacency at this stage as Smith, in particular, began to try too much on the ball which helped the Belles enjoy a decent spell of possession. De Vanna went down in the box looking for a penalty but it looked a well timed challenge from Emmanuelle and Wendy Toms was not interested. This little spell of pressure suddenly brought a goal as a deep free kick by Hamill found Vicky Exley sneaking between two defenders to guide a header into the bottom corner. It was important that Exley made this chance count as it was her first contribution of any note and her inability to have any effect in the midfield battle was a major handicap to the home teams' efforts. Shortly afterwards Vanessa Leat banged a ball towards the middle from way out on the left and the ball ended up rebounding from the bar with Fay groping desperately. As the ball bounced down Michelle Kerr pounced to hook the ball home from underneath the bar and amazingly the home side were level. Leeds looked to respond immediately and Barr produced a delightful touch to send Preston running through on goal but the midfielder did not have the pace to allow her time over the finish which ended up being weak and allowing Farrow a simple save. The half ended with De Vanna, who had looked extremely quick to go down, finally copping a genuinely stiff challenge from Alex Culvin which brought a merited yellow card and provided the Australian with a realistic excuse for hitting the deck. Half Time: Doncaster Belles 2 Leeds United Ladies 2 Having drawn level from their short spell of pressure before half time it might have been expected that Doncaster would emerge for the second half in a confident, competitive frame of mind but this was not the case. Instead the visitors went on to dominate the game to a greater extent that they had even managed in the opening half hour. Preston and McArthur reasserted themselves in midfield and the robust approach of Leeds in general was in sharp contrast to the tentative attitude of the Belles. Hamill remained the one home player who looked on a par with the opposition and while Carla Cantrell managed a much improved display up front the earlier promise of Lisa De Vanna evaporated completely after her introduction to Culvin. Jo Love did her best to disrupt the control exerted by the Leeds midfield but Vicky Exley remained peripheral at best in a completely lacklustre display. Lucy Ward provided the first moment of class of the second half with a lovely touch to release Sue Smith who came jinking inside onto her right foot before sending a low drive fractionally wide. Nicole Emmanuelle went on a strong driving run down the right, watched by De Vanna, to win a corner but this was wasted by Smith who sent the kick straight onto the roof of the net. Doncaster were soon making problems for themselves as Michelle Kerr was far too lethargic in dealing with a straightforward ball down the middle which almost allowed Ward to break through. Having got away with thar indecision Kerr then played her partner Claire Utley into trouble with an ill judged pass and when she was robbed Preston sent an instant drive from 20 yards that smacked against the crossbar. Another Leeds goal seemed inevitable and on 53 minutes it arrived. The ball was speared in early towards the Belles penalty area from the right and Preston was bursting forward to provide a vital touch that released Ward who finished with a calm lob over the advancing Farrow. It was a well deserved goal and one that highlighted the industry of Preston and the guile of Ward. Shortly afterwards Bradley launched another throw into the Doncaster box and with her defence totally failing to deal with the situation Farrow had to fling herself bravely into a possee of Leeds United attackers to clear the danger. Around the hour mark Doncaster finally mounted something amounting to a spell of pressure which was inevitably sparked by the efforts of Pauline Hamill. The clever schemer drifted through the Leeds midfield before supplying Emma Thomson who in turn was able to release Cantrell along the right hand side. Cantrell was surely trying to centre but her driven ball ended up forcing Fay into desperate action underneath the far angle. Then a free kick from Hamill caused confusion in the Leeds defence but Gemma Fay was able to drop on the loose ball just ahead of Jo Love. The Leeds keeper then got lucky when she dropped the next free kick into her area, from Leat, but was awarded a free kick of her own for the mild challenge against her. Another set piece looked promising for the Belles when Hamill's wicked inswinger to the near post saw a scrum of players trying to get a decisive contact but the ball bounced narrowly wide and the bemused officials settled on a goal kick rather than another corner. These were isolated situations, however, and in open play the Belles were showing little sign of creating chances. Emma Thomson was struggling to make an impact down the right but was at least still involved in the game. De Vanna, on the left, had contributed absolutely nothing since the break and it was difficult to understand why the Belles hadn't introduced at least one sub with the game still in the balance. From the stands it seemed odds on that the next goal would go the way of the visitors unless the home side tried something different. Jess Wright was allowed a free header when Leeds gained a free kick of their own and she would have been disappointed to send in a gentle header that Farrow clutched with ease. The Belles keeper then had more taxing duties to perform when a flying tackle by Wright actually sent Amanda Barr running through on goal. Having outstripped the defence Barr could not beat the advancing keeper who got down well to smother her attempt. There was little doubt that the visitors' approach bordered on being over physical and Rachel McArthur was fortunate to only receive a talking to after flattening Vanessa Leat while a series of niggling offences prevented the Belles from getting into any rhythm. It was hardly surprising, however, that a side flying high in the table should approach the game in such a determined manner, especially as local pride was at stake also. The Belles remained unwilling to match the aggression of their visitors and it was hard to see them getting back into the game at this stage. Leeds replaced the excellent Ward with Jess Clarke and her more direct, pacy style was perfectly suited to exploiting a tiring, over worked Belles defence. Sue Smith immediately sent the substitute racing clear but Farrow did well to parry Clarke's shot and Kelly Bevan was on hand to clear the ball behind as it threatened to sneak in at the far post. When the corner was half cleared Preston, who appeared to be everywhere, helped the ball back into the box where Barr sent in a terrific first time shot that produced the save of the match from Clare Farrow. The Belles keepers' luck was out, however, as the ball slammed against the bar and McArthur was on hand to force home the rebound. There were around ten minutes remaining and the Belles' manager John Buckley immediately produced his overdue, and now pointless, substitution by replacing De Vanna with Sophie Hopper. There was always a chance that one goal could have been retrieved. There was no way on God's earth his team were going to pull back two and Hopper was left chasing a futile cause. The sub did get involved in a few promising moves but the real threat remained at the other end of the field. Farrow distinguished herself with another outstanding save to deny Jess Clarke after Karen Burke had put over a superb first time centre from the right at full stretch but when Burke then released Barr through on goal the finish was crisp and Leeds had gone nap. Hopper, Cantrell and Hamill combined in the Belles' best move of the game but the chance ended up on Hamill's right foot, not her strongest, and her eventual shot was blocked by a covering defender. So a day that was hoped to signal a bright new future for the Belles ended with Leeds confirming the steps they have taken over the past year and raising some questions about Doncaster's ability to remain at the forefront of the womens' game at their splendid new home. Full Time: Doncaster Rovers Belles 2 Leeds United Ladies 5 Star Player: Natalie Preston Preston is the captain of Leeds and certainly led by example in this one. She was keen into the tackle, creative, a goalscoring threat and covered every blade of grass several times over.
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