Home draw in Jubilee cup quarter finals guaranteed

After last Sunday’s outstanding effort against Maidenhead United, the performance at Winchester City Flyers was a case of “after the Lord Mayor’s show” with United struggling in the first half and fortunate to see the first half end goalless.

Bottom of the group and with only one competitive win all season Flyers enjoyed the best of the opening twenty five minutes with forward Kate Johns lively and twice hitting the uprights once direct from a corner kick while Holly Wilkins and Alice Cooke both made last ditch tackles that saw the ball cleared for corner kicks.

United’s best chance during the half fell to Jodie Penny, who seeing home keeper Lizzie Morris out of position, put her shot narrowly wide of the keeper’s right post. Rosie Page-Smith also shot wide on two occasions from distance.

A change to player positions at the break saw United play with more fluency in the second half with Page-Smith having two “goals” disallowed, one for a foul in the forty seventh minute and one for off-side twelve minutes later.

Woodley grew in confidence and scored the only goal in the seventieth minute when Maddie Sawyer drove a low shot past Morris from twelve yards from a Charley Evans’ pass.

Despite the improved performance United were susceptible to the long ball counter attack that needed Nicole Haines to save several times at the feet of advancing Flyers’ players and having to defend an indirect free kick thirteen yards from the goal line following being penalised for a back pass with a quarter of hour remaining.

As the game advanced to the closing stages the home team’s threat diminished allowing United to take the points and guarantee at least second place in the qualifying group and a home tie in the knock-out quarter final stage of the competition.

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