United make champs work hard for the points

The first half was an even contest with chances limited. The best of them were shared with Morgan Merryweather firing wide on eight minutes and Louise Thompson showing good skill to shot on the quarter hour. For United, they saw one shot go over the cross bar when one on one with Lisa Phillips and a second go wide again when one on one.

The opening quarter hour of the second half remained tight but the game change in a three minute spell. The impressive Rachel Panting’s pass to the tireless running Mollie Haines was cleared for a corner from which Merryweather again fired wide on the hour mark. Two minutes later Maidenhead won a corner which player of the match Thompson cleared but which also saw full back Kate Hardie collide with the upright. With players aware of Hardie being laying on the goal line, Maidenhead fired a shot from distance inside the opposite post to open the scoring.

Hardie was fine to continue and was required to clear a parried clearance by Phillips before impressive play by Thompson put in Panting who also saw her effort narrowly miss the target on seventy three minutes.

Bonnie Messitt had a tremendous opportunity to level with ten minutes remaining. Substitute Natasha Elcox’s pressure on the visitors’ keeper Ellie Parker who in turn passed to Messitt but the tiring Woodley forward put wide.

Tina Brett secured the points with eight minutes remaining following a good run that saw her cut inwards and shoot from the edge of Woodley’s penalty area. The home side continued to press and another sub, Naomi Dixon saw a lob just go over the cross bar while Jess Grimmett saw her turn and shot from a corner go narrowly wide five minutes from time.

Overall, an encouraging United performance with players showing greater confidence from playing in what was virtually the same starting line-up as last time out.