Reds Beaten By Crawley

Nottingham Forest Women 0-1 Crawley Wasps (Friendly) 18.07.21

Three debutants, and three trialists, made up Forest Women Head Coach, Andy Cook’s, first pre-season, 17-person squad, when hosting Crawley Wasps on Sunday afternoon at Eastwood CFC.

Unlucky to fall to defeat, Forest dropping to a solitary goal early in the first half when the visiting centre-half found herself surging forward, releasing to her striker, who slotted past debutant home ‘keeper, Emily Batty, for the only goal of the game.

Alongside Batty, the two other debutants would be that of midfielder Becky Anderson, and striker Jade Arber, all three players giving a good account of themselves throughout a hit, ninety minutes, in the Eastwood sunshine.

Forest had their chances as well, plenty of them, but were unsuccessful when grasping that all-important equaliser, the first period seeing headers from Olivia Cook and Jade Arber, as well as Charlotte Greengrass from the edge of the box, whilst in stoppage time at the end of first, Captain Lyndsey Harkin, starting her sixteenth season in the beautiful game, strode forward, passed to Rosie Axten, who sees her effort sail over the cross bar.

Efforts continued in the second period for the hosts, but, as was with the first, they couldn’t find a way through, Laura-Jayne O’Neill firing wide early on, Anderson heading over from a corner as the game passed into the final quarter.

Batty continued some good form between the home sticks, halting any Wasps attack eloquently and, in the 67 minute, having been called into action, brilliantly tips an effort from the visitors, over the bar, thus keeping Forest in the game.

Another chance befell the hosts with ten minutes to go, but again, to no avail, this time Grace Walters found herself with space to cross, but the chance was not taken up and the hunt for an equaliser soon ran out of time.

Next up, this coming Thursday evening, 22 July, as Forest host Lincoln City, before travelling to the north-east next weekend (25 July), and a date with Sunderland.

Forest: Emily Batty, Lyndsey Harkin, Georgia Hewitt, Rachel Brown, Olivia Cook, Mai Moncaster, Jade Arber, Rosie Axten, Becky Anderson, Charlotte Greengrass, Sophia Bonser Subs: Charlotte Steggles, Grace Walters, Laura-Jayne O’Neill, Trialist 1, Trialist 2, Trialist 3.