Ladies winning runs comes to an end

The Ladies eight game winning run came to an end on Sunday with a lack lustre performance against local neighbours Barton Rovers but which started with both teams having opportunities to score in an opening five minutes that saw United force three corners and the visitors see one effort flash across the goal mouth and another rebound off the post and back into play.

The opening goal came after a quarter of hour following a Barton throw in which saw Gemma Simms strike from outside the penalty area evade the diving Emily Sherwood and enter the net.

Woodley responded immediately from the kick off with Ellie Vaughan heading a May Hamblin corner over the cross bar. The response was short lived when Simms added a second, again from distance, after twenty eight minute and but for a double save in which Sherwood was injured a third would have been conceded shortly afterwards.

A tactical change by United that saw the introduction of Maddie Sawyer co-incided with United’s best spell of the half and the home team. Rosie Page-Smith shot wide following good work by Hamblin before, before scoring from the edge of penalty area three minutes from the break.

United continued in positive fashion after the restart enjoying good possession in Rovers half and showing good play as typified by a positive run by left back Holly Wilkins. However, this was undone on the hour mark when a speculative ling range shot from Rachel Allwright bounced off the underside of the cross bar into the net to give Barton a 3-1 lead.

The next ten minutes saw a good period of pressure from the home team with Becs Lowes setting by Clare Stringer and Jas Clarke doing likewise for Page- Smith but in both instances Woodley failed to score while Clarke also shot over the cross bar.

Rovers Chloe Tucker headed unmarked from a corner over the bar and Sherwood twice punched the ball clear while under pressure as Rovers responded but neither team added to the score which leaves Barton in third position three points ahead of Woodley who have a game in hand.

Next up for United is a trip next Sunday (7th May) to Oxford City Nomads.