All square at Wycombe Wanderers

For the second successive week the Woodley United faced Wycombe Wanderers Ladies, this time away for league points with both teams settling for a draw with Wycombe levelling in added time following a delay in play midway through the second half due to an injury for the referee following a collision with a Woodley player.

Playing up a slope, on a heavy and into a low setting sun, Woodley went into the half time break leading through a single Bec Lowes goal, that saw her beat the home keeper Abi Whitmee to the ball following a Mollie Haines low cross in to the penalty area, in what was a disciplined performance that gave the hosts very few opportunities to test Nicole Haines in the Woodley goal with Christina O’Connor the hosts most threatening player.

Natasha Masters proved influential in United’s midfield with Ellen Surtees’ free kicks into the host’s penalty area causing the home side problems but which United were unable to capitalise upon. Rosie Page-Smith was a victim of the pitch which saw the ball hold up when breaking through with only the keeper to beat that allowed time for the danger to be cleared.

The second half saw a positive start from United but they were slow to start following the delay while the referee received treatment and where caught flat footed when a long ball from defence found Chante Inniss whose pass split the United defence for Abi Canvin to run onto and beat Haines one on one after seventy three minutes.

This gave United the kick start they needed who raised their game and deservedly took the lead after eight six minutes when Rosie Page Smith intercepted a Wycombe throw in to drill the ball pass substitute keeper Amy Batkin for her tenth goal of the season.

With the match in the fourth minute of what was to be seven minutes stoppage time Wanderers gained a spoil of the points when Tara Woodward found herself in space on Wycombe’s right and on the edge of the penalty area to shoot pass the advancing Haines.

Despite the disappointment of dropping two points, with leaders Barton Rovers, surprising losing to Wokingham & Emmbrook, United is now four points of top spot with two games in hand. The team is without a game this coming Sunday 3rd December and return to action on Sunday 10th when they welcome Winchester City Flyers Reserves in the Jubilee cup group stage match.

N Haines, Evans, Wilkins, Masters, Surtees, Cooke, M Haines, Burgess, Page-Smith, Lowes, Hamblin (Pearson) Subs not used: Radountcheva, Ward and Edwards