Womens Football Archive - March 2007

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Womens Football - Friday, March 2
League Cup Final Preview

Firstly a brief mention of the midweek action in the Womens Premier League.

Arsenal Ladies won away from home at Doncaster Belles 4-0. That'll come as a surprise to everyone.

I did say at the start of the season that Arsenal putting together a side so superior to everyone elses' might not be a good thing, not just for the league as a whole but also for the players at the club.

Are Arsenal's players getting better by facing teams that cannot really give them a game week in and week out? It's hard to see how.

Of course you cannot blame Arsenal for putting together the strongest team possible and this has given them the chance to achieve the last remaining unfulfilled goal of conquering Europe.

The writing was on the wall at the Keepmoat inside a minute as Rachel Yankey tapped home after Clare Farrow had done well to tip a shot from Karen Carney onto the bar.

Kelly Smith smacked home the second when a free kick was rolled to her and Yankey produced a fine finish to make it 3-0 at the break.

The Gunners eased off in the second half, as is usually their perogative, and contented themselves with one more goal which came when Lianne Sanderson strolled through to round Farrow.

It was a tighter game between Everton Ladies and Blackburn Ladies.

Blackburn are certainly becoming harder to beat and despite this loss they will be further encouraged that they have what it takes to give Charlton Ladies a real game in their forthcoming FA Cup semi final.

The only goal of this game came shortly before half time and was scored by Everton's experienced full back Becky Easton who continues to be a credit to herself and the game.

This was a scrappy game dictated to a large degree by the condition of the pitch and a strong wind. Everton were away from their normal Marine FC ground and while that is not the best playing surface in the world it is infinitely preferable to the clubs' other options.

Taking for granted that Everton FC would never actually allow the women onto Goodison Park of course, except to give the fans of the mens' team something to stare at at half time every so often.

Anyway, this weekend sees the first major trophy of the season decided as Arsenal take on Leeds United Ladies in the League Cup final, the game being played at Scunthorpe United's Glanford Park with a 2.30 kick off.

This is a repeat of last seasons' FA Cup final, a game Arsenal won 5-0. To put that result into perspective it was extremely kind on Leeds who could easily have shipped double figures.

Can we expect a closer game on Sunday?

There is no doubt that Leeds have improved since that day. They have a basically young side who are a year older, stronger and generally more clued up.

The signing of Rachel McArthur from Arsenal has also significantly strengthened their side. Strong, experienced and a good all round midfielder McArthur formed a solid partnership with Natalie Preston in the central areas.

These two can also expect good support from either Karen Burke or Sophie Walton. No doubt manager Julie Chipchase knows the side she is going to select and the experienced Burke would seem the natural choice.

I was impressed with Walton when I saw her recently at Blackburn, however, although she did disappear a little bit when Leeds came under pressure.

While Leeds have it in them to be competitive in the midfield areas it is hard to see them imposing themselves at the business ends of the pitch.

They are without the cup tied Amanda Barr, who was unlikely to overly trouble the Arsenal defence in any case, and might struggle to get any meaningful support to Lucy Ward.

Ward is a clever player who can spot a run and play others in but if no-one is able to get beyond her then her influence is severely blunted.

In last seasons' final she scarcely saw the ball and hardly ever with a decent option on. This will need to change if Leeds are to have any hope.

The performance of Sue Smith will be interesting to watch. Smith is Leeds' biggest potential match winner and a regular member of the England squad. She was basically anonymous in the FA Cup final, however, and a vastly improved performance from her is essential on Sunday.

Even if Leeds were to score a couple of goals it is hard to imagine that would be enough to bring the cup home, however.

The Leeds defence does not look any stronger than last year when it was ripped apart and the Arsenal attack has been bolstered since then.

And there is the inescapable factor of Gemma Fay's height.

It might seem cruel to point this out but it is the first thing Arsenal exploited in last years' final and it is a constant avenue of opportunity and they will be looking to play on it again this time, there is nothing more certain.

Arsenal took the lead within a minute last year from a corner which was headed in for an own goal only two yards out with Fay rooted to her line.

Most womens' sides are not capable of consistently exposing this but Arsenal; big, strong and powerful all over the pitch, certainly are.

This is also the first big domestic occasion for the new, improved Arsenal to strut their stuff and I am certain they will not pass up the opportunity.

My personal feeling is that Leeds will do well to keep the losing margin down to three.

I could be wrong and I hope I am. All will be revealed on Sunday.

Women's Football - Thursday, March 8
Looking Back; Looking Forward

First things first and having suggested in my preview of the League Cup final that the Leeds defence might not be any stronger than last season it is only right and proper to pay tribute to the magnificent performances turned in by their back four against Arsenal last Sunday.

The full backs Nicole Emmanuel and Alex Culvin turned in resolute and committed performances and emerged with great credit from an afternoon being rigorously examined by Carney, Yankey and Kelly Smith.

Emmanuel, especially, gave an extremely mature performance.

The central defenders Sophie Bradley and Jess Wright were both magnificent as they stood up to almost non stop pressure from the fearsome Gunners' forward line.

So well did these four perform their duties that goalkeeper Gemma Fay barely had a shot to save despite the action being concentrated in and around her goalmouth for most of the afternoon.

The injury time defeat was cruel on the Leeds' rearguard but the simple truth is that as a team they showed almost no ambition to go and win the game and although the timing of the winning goal was hard to take it was surely inevitable that it would arrive at some point.

The league action last weekend saw Everton and Charlton maintain their progress behind Arsenal at the top of the table.

Everton were made to work for the points by Cardiff City but emerged 3-0 winners after late goals by Fara Williams and Jody Handley.

Cardiff once again gave a decent display without gaining a result and the manner of the crucial opening goal typifies the way their season has been going.

Handley, who takes a mean corner, whipped a fierce inswinger into the far post and the ball rebounded off the upright before bouncing into the net off Carla Parfitt.

Sunderland WFC continue to offer Cardiff hope that there might be an escape route from relegation, however. Their latest defeat was a truly resounding 8-0 reverse at Charlton.

Charlton were in front by the 7th minute through Eni Aluko and completed the scoring before the hour mark. Perhaps a little mercy was shown in the last half an hour.

There were two goals apiece for Ashlee Hincks and Danielle Murphy while Harpa Thorsteinsdottir, the Icelandic international, scored with her first touch for the club having come on as a substitute.

Perhaps the strangest thing about this game was that Carly Telford, the latest goalkeeper to be called into the England squad, only merited a place on the Sunderland bench for this fixture.

The good news for Hope Powell is that she did keep a clean sheet during her spell on the pitch.

In the other fixture the sharper finishing of Chelsea saw them defeat Doncaster Belles 3-1 in a tightly contested encounter.

Ellen White and Jodian Clarke illustrated Chelsea's cutting edge with goals in the opening 20 minutes but the game remained in the balance after the evergreen Pauline Hamill pulled one back for the Belles.

The game was put beyond doubt in the last minute when Dunia Susi struck for Chelsea.

In the Northern section Lincoln City gained a much needed victory at home to Aston Villa. Two goals from Megan Harris helped them on their way to a 4-1 success.

One of the most surprising things in this section is the poor season being suffered by Newcastle United.

The summer signing of Melanie Reay suggested they might be serious title contenders but an awful run of form has seen the team drop into relegation trouble.

They do have games in hand but need to start picking up points quickly with teams at the bottom beginning to stir.

On Sunday Newcastle slipped to another defeat, 4-3 at Stockport, despite a hat trick from the prolific Reay.

The Southern section was once again completely washed out.

Looking forward the next eight days sees the England Ladies team continue their preparations for the World Cup with three friendly internationals.

The fun starts tonight at Milton Keynes where Russia are the visitors, continues on Sunday morning when Scotland provide the opposition at Wycombe and concludes next Thursday when Holland visit Swindon.

If these venues are handy for you then it will be well worth a trip to see Hope Powell's team in action.

These are friendlies with a genuine meaning and purpose. Not only are the girls playing for their places in China the team will be looking to continue its' recent development and come out of the games a stronger, more cohesive and fluent unit.

Unlike the mens' friendlies you do at least get the feeling the women are looking to get something tangible and lasting out of each game they play and I am sure Powell will gain several plusses from the games ahead.

This makes it all the more disappointing that all these games have been completely ignored by the various television companies.

I can't help thinking the FA could do more to promote the womens game in this respect. Why don't they include the womens' international games as a package with the mens' when they sell off the rights to tv?

If you get the rights to the friendly internationals then this means the womens as well as the mens. If you get the rights to the World Cup that means the womens as well as the mens.

Either the FA simply can't be bothered thinking about the womens team or they realise they can get top dollar for the mens' games without including the women and then get that bit extra when the really big womens' events come round.

No doubt they will be collecting another nice little sum when the World Cup bidding starts.

They should realise that providing exposure to the womens' game is vital to its' continued success and growth and is worth more than the occasional little earner.

Seeing the top players in action is crucial to the development of interest and skills in young players and while there is the ever present opportunity to learn from the top male players through switching on the television it would be nice if girls had more of an opportunity to see players like Fara Williams, Rachel Yankey, Karen Carney and, obviously, Kelly Smith in action more frequently.

Beyond that it is simply a crying shame that the performances of Kelly Smith are not being preserved for posterity. She really is that good.

It is not going overboard to suggest that Smith is the best player in the world at the moment.

If she were a tennis player, or a swimmer, or an athlete and she was as good as she is then she would be on the television constantly.

As it is she's a footballer which is, if I'm not mistaken, the most popular sport in the country.

Okay, I might get some irate fishermen writing in saying fishing is still more popular as a participation sport than football but this is the womens' section and I don't think there are that many young girls taking up angling at the moment.

Anyway, with the proliferation of available television channels these days the absence of coverage for the England womens' team is nothing short of disgraceful and for those of you who haven't had the chance to see Kelly Smith in action you simply don't know what you're missing.

Womens Football - Wednesday, March 14
Weekend Round Up

Just a quick round up of the weekend Premier League action.

Birmingham City and Chelsea Ladies battled out a slightly dour goalless draw which provided welcome relief to the home side and maintained the visitors' solid recent form.

Blackburn Rovers Ladies geared up for this weekends' FA Cup semi final with a comfortable 3-0 win at doomed Fulham.

Once more it was Katie Anderton providing the firepower, completing her hat trick with one early goal and two late on.

Anderton can consider herself desperately unlucky to have missed out on the latest, supersized, England squad having spearheaded her teams' outstanding league and cup effort during their first season in the top flight.

It seems as though she may be paying for earlier reluctance to be involved in the international set up as it is hard to justify the re-appearance of Amanda Barr in the squad in front of her in any other way.

In the Northern section Lincoln City continue to lead the way after a good 2-0 victory at home to Nottingham Forest. The goals came from Stacey Aisthorpe and Jodie Snelson while the Imps highly rated keeper Nicola Hobbs also gave a distinguished performance, highlighted by a penalty save.

Liverpool Ladies are now in hot pursuit, however, and their 4-1 win at improving Preston North End leaves them nine points behind but with five games in hand.

There was a goal apiece for Kelly Davies, Kelly Jones, Cheryl Foster and Gayle Formston in this one.

The action got underway again in the South and Watford Ladies are bound for the top flight barring miracles of biblical proportions.

They had to work hard to overcome Portsmouth 4-3 but having done so they lie 10 points clear with games in hand.

Brooke Chaplen put Portsmouth ahead and the visitors were leading 3-1 with half time approaching.

Lisa Burrows then stepped up with a stunning, and vital, goal to get Watford back into contention and having equalised through Vicky Causbrook midway through the second half Ellen Maggs popped up with the late winner.

What a signing Maggs has been. An England international who learnt her trade with Arsenal she is every bit the class act this pedigree would suggest. And she's only just turned 24.

What a coup.

Womens Football - Tuesday, March 20
Women Get Their Dream Final

While attention has been increasingly focussed on the possibility of the dream FA Cup final in the mens' game this weekends' semi finals ensured that we already have one to look forward to in the womens' game.

Arsenal and Charlton overcame Bristol Academy and Blackburn respectively to set up a final meeting at Nottingham Forest's ground on May 7.

With all due consideration to the romance of the FA Cup I am personally relieved that this is the final.

There was absolutely no way Bristol Academy were going to put Arsenal out and there would have been no way Blackburn could have given them a decent game in the final had they managed to upset Charlton.

The Womens' FA Cup final is one of the few times when any real notice is taken of womens' football so it would be nice to see an entertaining and competitive game.

Charlton's progress to the final gives us the best chance of this happening.

While Arsenal remain massive favourites, if Charlton can stifle the Gunners' array of attacking talent they certainly have players who can unsettle the Arsenal defence.

Whatever happens at the City Ground it will definitely be the two outstanding attacking teams in the country on show so you can't really ask for any more than that.

Let's hope it's a cracker.

Charlton were made to work hard by Blackburn, as expected, although they only had themselves to blame after squandering a host of clear chances to make the game safe.

Much credit also has to go to Kay Hawke, the Blackburn keeper, for a string of fine saves including one breathtaking point blank stop to frustrate Natasha Dowie.

Dowie would eventually find a way past Hawke early in the second half after excellent approach play by Eni Aluko and that would eventually prove enough.

Blackburn fashioned a couple of clear cut openings themselves but failed to test Toni-Anne Wayne on either occasion.

Arsenal didn't hit their top form against Bristol Academy but didn't really need to.

The Gunners were generally in control of possession at the spacious Memorial Ground and the outcome was absolutely sealed by two first half goals.

Katie Chapman got the first with a looping header from Lianne Sanderson's centre although big questions have to be asked about Siobhan Chamberlain in the Academy goal for somehow allowing the ball to lob over her head and into the net.

Sanderson also had a hand in the second, releasing Karen Carney with a quick free kick and Jayne Ludlow was left with the simplest of tasks from the low centre.

Academy battled gamely and were not breached in the second period but at no stage did they manage to trouble Emma Byrne in the Arsenal goal.

In the National Premier League Leeds United kept their hopes of finishing second alive with a 5-1 win at Sunderland.

After a goalless first half Leeds needed the wake up call of a Sunderland goal to finally assert themselves, however.

England newcomer Stephanie Houghton put the home side ahead shortly after half time but any thoughts of a shock were quickly nipped in the bud by goals in rapid succession from Natalie Preston and Sophie Bradley.

Leeds confirmed victory with three late goals, Lucy Ward and Sue Smith on target with the other coming courtesy of an own goal.

In the Northern Section Newcastle United dealt a hammer blow to Lincoln City's title ambitions with a 2-0 victory, the goals coming from Naomi Robson and Mel Reay.

Womens Football - Tuesday, March 27
Plus Seventy Eight

If you wonder what the headline is referring to it's the current goal difference Arsenal Ladies have racked up in the National Premier League this season.

As Charlton Ladies anticipate taking on the Gunners twice in a week in theoretical title deciders it is safe to say that this is worth an extra point.

Arsenal brushed aside Bristol Academy last midweek. They were three goals up inside the opening quarter hour and went on to win 4-1 with Lianne Sanderson getting two.

On Sunday they were even more emphatic, pulverising Leeds United (the team that had proved so obdurate in the League Cup final) 8-1.

Again the game was settled early with Arsenal scoring four in the first fifteen minutes and holding an outrageous 6-1 lead at the interval.

Of the eventual tally of eight Sanderson provided three, Rachel Yankey two and Alex Scott, Karen Carney and Kelly Smith one each.

Jess Clarke grabbed the lone Leeds reply.

Charlton warmed up for their first meeting with the Gunners this Thursday in more conservative fashion, securing a 2-1 away win at Birmingham City.

Charlton were also out of the traps quickly with Natasha Dowie and Katie Holtham on target in the opening quarter hour after pouncing on rebounds from parrying saves by Sue Wood.

Despite this fine start, however, there was an edge to the game unusual in womens' football which was highlighted by three bookings to Charlton players, a real rarity.

The visitors' sense of grievance with the referee became even greater after the interval when Ashlee Hincks was given a straight red after a challenge on Steph Samuels.

This left Charlton holding on as Dani Bird had already reduced the arrears with a crisp left footed drive and Bird turned provider late on to offer Katie Ward the chance to equalise but her shot was way off target.

Everton are still in the running to repeat their 2nd placed finish of last season after beating Cardiff City 2-0.

This game could also have seen a cricket score but Everton spurned plenty of chances and also came up against the impressive Rhian Noakes in fine form yet again in the Cardiff goal.

Fara Williams gave Everton a half time lead with a headed effort which Amy Kane almost doubled just before the interval with an effort that came out from the inside of the post.

Despite almost constant pressure it was the last minute before Emily Westwood finally settled the issue with a powerful shot.

Blackburn Rovers earned a splendid away victory at Chelsea with Katie Anderton, inevitably, getting the only goal.

Doncaster Belles gained a welcome three points but were hardly convincing in managing only a 1-0 win at Fulham thanks to Carla Cantrell's second half goal.

It was appropriate that the build up to this goal came down their left hand flank where Emily Heckler had impressed but the telling assist finally came from the left back Vanessa Leat.

Sunderland remain in danger of slipping below Cardiff after losing at home to Bristol Academy.

Corinne Yorston opened the scoring midway through the second half with Kerry Bartlett grabbing another in the 89th minute.

This provoked a belated response from the Black Cats but Sarah Danby's goal counted for nothing material.

The big game in the Northern section saw Liverpool come away from Lincoln City with a point from their goalless draw.

This was an extremely tight encounter with Liverpool unhappy about the linesmans' flag that disallowed a Jo Traynor goal while the closest Lincoln came was late on with a Jodie Snelson cross shot just wide of a post.

Liverpool, despite losing 1-0 to Tranmere last midweek, remain favourites for promotion for although they are currently nine points behind they do have five games in hand.

Lincoln also have three tough away games to complete their programme including a trip to Liverpool. Still, as their chairman Geoff Adams said after the game on Sunday, "It's not over till the fat lady sings."

I'm not sure that's an advisable phrase to be using in this environment and I suppose Adams will have all his Alison Moyet records shoved firmly to the back of his cupboard until the season's finished.

In the South Watford continue to motor towards the top flight after a spanking 5-1 win at AFC Wimbledon. Helen Lander grabbed another hat trick to take her league tally to 31 for the season.

It will be interesting to see how Lander fares next season against the countries' best defences. The impact made this year by Katie Anderton will surely give her the belief that she can make a significant impression.

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