Ladies record first league win and points of the season

Woodley United Ladies kicked started their season with a first league win and in doing so also recorded their first league points of the season. The match could not have started better for the team as straight from their kick off the ball was played back to left back Kate Hardie who found Ellen Surtees to run at the right back and cross to Bonnie Messitt to score from twelve yards play with only twenty seconds played.

This set the tone of the first half with United in the ascendency but unable to convert their supremacy into goals. Instrumental in much of Woodley’s attacking play was Rosie Page – Smith and midfelder Jess Grimmett who also had effort go wide. For Grimmett this was the story of her game as she was also to hit the cross bar and foot of an upright.

The second half saw Banbury United start with greater tempo and put the home team under pressure which resulted in an equaliser on fifty two minutes when Zoe Bote scored direct from a free kick on the edge of United’s penalty area.

Led by Sab Kulan the defence held firm and gradually recaptured the initiative with Surtees, Nicole Haines and Mollie Haines enjoying forward runs and again putting pressure on the visitors back four. Their invention was rewarded after an hour when Surtees passed to Grimmett whose pass in the penalty area found Page-Smith to steer the ball under keeper Amy Bourton for the decisive goal.

This goal deflated Banbury and United ran out comfortable winners.