Sunderland Ladies 1-0 Nottingham Forest Women (FA Womens National League North) 01.11.20
It wasn’t to be on Wearside this afternoon, Sunderland Women edging a tight encounter with a 1-0 win courtesy of a Keira Ramshaw goal early in the second half.
Following last Sunday’s last-gasp comeback against Hull City which earned the Reds an unlikely share of the spoils, manager Andy Cook took his Forest side to the north-east this afternoon, visiting the Academy of Light, Sunderland.
Bringing Lucy Johnson back into the starting eleven, Cook’s Forest, playing in their away blue, remained pretty much unchanged for a game he said: “Will be one of our toughest test of the season based on previous battles with Sunderland.”
Both sides created early chances, Aja Aguirre being tested early in the Forest goal when a free-kick from Maria Farrugia came back off the crossbar and Keira Ramshaw was blocked, whilst Rosie Axten and Rebecca Rayner looked to warm their shooting boots in the opening stages.
End-to-end, Forest are seemingly giving away needless free-kicks, Farrugia posing an early danger on the set-pieces, whilst at the other end Axten continues to makes herself a nuisance.
Midway through the first, the hosts are seen to continue peppering the Forest goal, Abbey Joice and Ramshaw testing Aguirre on a regular basis, the Reds shot-stopper equal to what is thrown at her, the home ‘keeper meanwhile, Claudia Moan, is in need of treatment just before the half hour mark, a precautionary measure after a blow to the head –s he’s good to carry on though.
As the chances continued to flow, for both sides, during an even, opening 45 minutes, the hosts see efforts from Emily Scarr and Eve Blakey go agonisingly close, they looking at closing the first period the stronger of the two.
Ramshaw, who’s been fed well by Farrugia throughout the half, takes a shot at goal from the far reaches of the box, the effort stinging Aguirre’s palms as the Res stopper quells another attack, the Reds holding out to go in goalless at the break.
Carrying on from where they left off in the first, the quintet of Farrugia, Ramshaw, Joice, Blakey and Scarr causing numerous problems, the hosts would eventually take the lead, just before the hour mark. Joice and Ramshaw would be seen to combine on the edge of the box, the latter receiving the final pass and smashing it home past the despairing Aguirre to put the hosts ahead.
Shortly after the opening goal, Forest manager Cook makes a first roll of the dice with a double substitution, Rachel Brown and Annabel McKenchnie replacing Sophie Tudor and Mai Moncaster.
Midway through the second period the visitors attempt to slide into the ascendency, efforts coming from Rayner, Steggles and Johnson, Forest probing away for the equaliser before Scarr brings off another save from Aguirre in the visiting goal, minutes later, and with the hosts yet to make any changes, Forest make their third with Niamh Reynolds replacing Steggles, the substitute having yesterday celebrated her birthday.
Moan is brought into action late in the game, Forest continuing to push for a share of the points, but she stands firm in the home goal with Lucy Johnson, Charlotte Greengrass and Georgia Hewitt continuing the fight, but to no avail.
Bex Rayner finds herself in the official’s notebook in stoppage time as Forest’s luck runs out on Wearside, the hosts holding on to Ramshaw’s early, second half goal for the win.
Forest: Aguirre, Greengrass, Harkin, Steggles (Reynolds), Hewitt, Johnson, Moncaster (McKechnie), Naylor, Tudor (Brown), Rayner, Axten. Subs: James, Middleton.
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @NFFCWomen the girls in National League North action today.
