Rosie in seveth heaven

The Ladies made hard work of beating a spirited Fleet Town side that started with only nine players before playing with ten from midway during the first half.

Playing up the slope chances were few and far between in the first half for both teams but Fleet’s Terri Brown was the busier of the two keepers with a tip over the cross bar from a United free kick the best of the half.

The sole first half goal came four minute from the break when Sophie Ali won the ball in midfield and passed to May Hamblin on the right wing. Running forward and seeing Brown of her line, the Woodley player lobbed the keeper to score.

The second half got off to a disappointing start for the visitors who were caught on the break from their corner allowing Jo Harfield to run unchallenged from just inside the Woodley half to slot past the advancing Nicole Haines to level the score after forty nine minutes.

United responded strongly with Rosie Page-Smith seeing Brown save for a corner from which Brown was forced to punch clear for another corner following a Fleet defender heading the ball towards her own goal.

Gradually United’s extra player began to pay advantage with pressure being exerted from wide positions through Mollie Haines and second half debutant Jas Clarke. Ellen Surtees hit the side netting and Page-Smith saw a shot blocked on the line and her rebound saved by Brown.

The breakthrough came on seventy six minutes when United counter attacked from a Fleet corner that saw Surtees goal bound shot hit a defender on the way into the net.

With the match entering stoppage time United forced another corner which was cleared to the edge of Fleet’s penalty area for Page-Smith to fire home low under Brown’s body to score for the seventh consecutive match.

With Barton Rovers and Oxford City Nomads both losing this win takes United up to third position in the league table.