Ladies reach quarter finals of Jubilee Cup

Woodley United became the first team to qualify for the quarterfinal knock out stage of the Southern Region Women’s Football League Jubilee cup with a third consecutive group stage win in a match that was suspended for seven second half minutes due to driving sleet and snow.

Playing the first half into a strong wind United enjoyed plenty of possession without creating many chances, while comfortably able to contain a Nomads side that offered little threat though out the entire match.

Following a foul on May Hamblin when running a goal, Rosie Page-Smith saw her twenty yard free kick rebound of the upright after four minutes. Eighteen minutes into the half Mollie Haines beat Nomad’s keeper Evie Brown only to see a defender clear the ball on the goal line.

With snow starting to fall and visibility failing Page-Smith and Tat Master both had shots blocked before the weather eased and Master opened the scoring four minutes from half time when her goal bound shot took a deflation.

A minute later Master failed to connect with a Page-Smith free kick that went through the penalty area before the match ended with Nicole Haines saving comfortably from distance.

The first minute of the second half saw Hamblin have a goal bound shot blocked followed by play being suspended three minutes later.

The interruption did not impact United who showed greater tempo after the restart with Charley Evans dangerous in an attacking right back position and forcing Brown into a save on fifty five minutes followed by Ruth Pearson passing to Page-Smith who calmly rounded Brown to double the lead a minute later.

With the lead, Woodley made a triple substitution that saw new signing Jodie Penny make her debut and her strong running was a danger to the visiting defence with her twice narrowly going wide within seven minutes of entering the field.

The final goal came as the game went into stoppage time when Hamblin with only Brown to beat, unselfishly passed to Mollie Haines who slotted into the empty net.

N Haines, Evans, Wilkins, Master (Penny), Surtees, Cook, M Haines, Pearson (Ward), Page-Smith, Sawyer, Hamblin (Edwards)