Ladies take an excellent point from Nomads

Following two heavy cup defeats the Ladies had reason to face league leaders Oxford City Nomads with some trepidation but rose to the occasion by giving their best performance of the season with every player showing a desire not to be beaten and in turn provide an entertaining game.

As to be expected the visitors started strongly with Danielle Anderson quick and direct on the right wing finding herself one on one with United’s Bonnie Messitt in the first minute to shot wide and then when free again Clara Stringer made last gasp block to clear the danger.

United settled themselves and with Mollie Haines and May Hamblin lively on both wings had success getting forward but while creating shots at goals through Rosie Page-Smith, Ellen Surtees, May and Mollie Haines were unable to test the visiting keeper Sophie Kirby until the final minute of the half when Page-Smith’s shot from an indirect free kick was stopped on her goal line by Kirby.

Similarly apart from one save by Messitt on fifteen minutes, City did not trouble the home keeper but this was more due to the desire of the defence not to be beaten none more so than Gemma Bloor.

The second half stated positively with Mollie Haines twice in the opening six minutes going wide of goal, however it needed two full length saves from Messitt in the next five minutes to keep the match scoreless.

Surtees become more influential in the match putting good crosses into the Oxford penalty area as the game swung from end to end but it was the Nomads who opened the scoring after seventy two minutes when a pin point cross was headed into the net by Abbie Smith. A minute later the lead was nearly double but for the cross bar but Surtees replied by forcing Kirby to save on her goal line.

The equaliser came nine minutes from time when a defender header a Surtees’ free kick into her own half. Having got level the game opened up with both teams looking for a winner but with Bloor making timely challenge her determination not to lose rubbed off on the rest of the team as a well-deserved point was achieved.

A big feature of the game was the all round team effort with many of the mistakes that cost goals in recent games being eradicated by better positional sense and better decision making.