Goalless at the Racecourse

The Berkshire derby ended goalless with few chances created and both teams seeing second half efforts stopped on the goal line by their goal keeper.

Woodley started in lively fashion and good team play saw May Hamblin fire over in the fourth minute, followed by Amie Benton’s cross six minutes later narrowly missing the head of the diving Rosie Page-Smith. Page-Smith was also denied by Ascot’s Lisa Phillips when the keeper pushed a shot onto the bar and away for a corner kick.

The visitors were unable to maintain this start as the game became played in midfield with neither defence placed under any pressure. The best Ascot could create was by Nicole Brown when her effort went wide on twenty six minutes while Maddie Sawyer beat two players but could not trouble Phillips with the shot three minutes before half time.

Playing down the slope the home team enjoyed the opening minutes of the restart with Nicole Haines denying Brown before Phillips was quicker to the ball as Hamblin chased after a Page-Smith flick.

Haines pushed a thirty yard free kick over the bar while Phillips tipped a Sawyer shot round the post in the sixty eight minute before Haines scrabbled to smother the ball on her goal line.

Woodley enjoyed the greater possession in the final twenty minutes of the half and looked to have won the game with eight minutes remaining only to see Page-Smith’s low shot hit the base of Philips’ left post and rebound along the goal line for the keeper to fall on and prevent the ball crossing the line.

Haines, Hunt (Measham), Wilkins (Pearson), Stringer (Cooke), Surtees, Evans, Harris-Steers (Penny), Sawyer, Page-Smith, Hamblin (Thomas), Benton