Nottingham Forest Women 2-2 Hull City Ladies (FA Womens National League North) 25.10.20

Down-and-out going into stoppage time at the end of a tough ninety minutes for the Reds, they dug deep, and produced a home, smash-and-grab raid to earn a share of spoils that looked like they were never going to get, McKechnie and a penalty from Axten, earn the unlikeliest of draws.

Forest manager Andy Cook welcomed Charlotte Steggles and Sydnie Naylor back into his starting eleven for the home encounter with mid-table Hull City, both sides looking to bounce back after defeats last time around.

After a near fifteen minute delay to kick-off, the visitors eventually got proceedings underway and it was the hosts who dominated early proceedings, with, on the rare occasion Hull broke through, Aja Aguirre was holding frim at the back to deal with it; Rosie Axten and Georgia Hewitt both having chances to open the scoring.

The search for the opener, for both sides, continued throughout the opening period, Hayley James proving to a constant threat for the home side whilst the visitors were forced to make change just past the half hour mark, Faith Martin coming on for Jo Symington.

Forest dominance continued as the sides headed towards the break, Mai Moncaster, Bex Rayner and Sydnie Naylor all seeing chances going begging whilst Liberty Bott and Ellice Jackman give the Tigresses hope, the latter seeing a half-volley cleared off Aguirre’s line.

Shortly after Jackman’s miss, Forest could have taken an interval lead at the other end as Bex Rayner made a goal-bound run and shot, on target, the visitors ‘keeper, Abigail Wallace, getting enough of a hand to the ball to push the effort onto the crossbar, and away to safety.

Going in level at the break, with both sides having probed and probed for the breakthrough, it arrived early in the second period, Hull opening the scoring immediately after Steggles had seen her free-kick saved at one end before Emily Smith sees curling effort come back off the bar and follows up nicely with the rebound to make it 1-0 to Hull City.

Now in the ascendency, and with Forest heads dropping, Bott has a couple of efforts in quick succession before Rebecca Beech tries her luck from distance, the shot sailing past Aguirre in the home goal for 2-0.

Having not taken advantage of first-half pressure, and opportunities, a crest-fallen home side now need to find a quick way back into a game that’s quickly slipping away from them.

Cook’s immediate response to falling two behind is to make a double substitution, Mai Moncaster and Sophie Tudor are replaced by Katie Middleton and Annabel McKechnie respectively.

Successive chances fell to Bex Rayner as Forest continued to knock on Hull’s door midway through the second half but that elusive goal was still not materialising before the visitors made their second change of the afternoon, Rachael Ackroyd replacing the Tigresses second scorer, Rebecca Beech.

Turning proceedings into a shooting gallery, the Reds begin to pepper Wallace and the visitors’ goal, chances flying around from McKechnie, Middleton, Axten and Naylor, the hosts insisting on getting back into the game.

Hull though weren’t looking like being denied, the two goals early in the second half giving them the strength to see them through, and, with five to go, made their final change of the day replacing Katie Thompson with Aaliyah Allen; Forest looking like they’ll be rueing a host of missed chances.

Still time for chances though as Forest captain Rebecca Harkin puts Naylor through, again though, to no avail, and, with Charlotte Steggles being replaced by Niamh Reynolds, Forest’s home fires are now just fizzling away.

Then, in stoppage time, a glimmer of hope is ignited, substitute Annabel McKechnie, who took to the field with half an hour remaining, pulls one back from close range with her first of the season and, in the fifth minute, it’s a penalty to Forest.

Have Hull blown it at the death.

In hitting the ninetieth minute, Forest were dead and gone, then McKechnie afforded hope, and now Rosie Axten is not going to miss from twelve yards out, wrapping up an incredible few minutes for the Reds, equalising, yes equalising, from the spot – Axten, you beauty!!!

Forest: Aguirre, Greengrass, Harkin, Steggles (Reynolds), James, Hewitt, Naylor, Moncaster (Middleton), Tudor (McKechnie), Rayner, Axten.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @NFFCWomen Lyndsey Harkin in action for Forest against Hull today.