Forest Getting Closer With Another Win

Three games left to play in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier, and Andy Cook’s Nottingham Forest side have a six point advantage on second place Wolverhampton Wanderers, having comfortably defeated their other title-challengers, Burnley, 3-0 at the weekend.

Laura-Jayne O’Neill, was making her 100^th appearance for the Reds, although she went off injured inside half an hour, her team-mates though, they carried on regardless, and relentlessly.

The opening goal, that came on seventeen minutes when top-scorer, Charlotte Greengrass, played in Sophie Domingo, who found the top corner with her ninth of the season; both Yasmin Mosby and Arryana Daniels had chances to double the hosts’ lead prior to the enforced change, Burnley’s defence holding strong.

Leading by the one at the break, the second period was just seven minutes old when Domingo rattled home her second of the game, and tenth of what has been a productive season for the Reds in front of goal.

Reds ‘keeper, Emily Batty, was seen to pull off a couple of fine saves during the second half, keeping her goal intact for another clean-sheet, whilst at the other end of the field, the Reds’ scoring machine churned out a third with six minutes remaining.

Mai Moncaster, who came for Mosby with a little over quarter of an hour left, found herself running onto and deftly chipping the visiting ‘keeper for their third of the afternoon; both sides had chances throughout, but with Batty and her defence in the form they showed, and that scoring prowess, a six point advantage is just reward.

Moncaster’s goal her sixth of the season, was number 72, in just nineteen league games, this season, and with only seventeen conceded, thought has been firmly shifted to Thursday night.

Only three games stand between Nottingham Forest and a potential FA Women’s National League Northern Premier title, and a League Cup final to boot – next up, it’s the visit of third bottom West Bromwich Albion on Thursday 6 April, at the Halbrooke Stadium.

Rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers moved into second place, capitalising on Burnley’s defeat, after they won 5-0 at home to mid-table Huddersfield Town; meanwhile, in the Southern Premier Division, Ipswich Town lead Oxford United by two points, the latter having two games in hand, after their top-of-the-table clash was postponed.

Nottingham Forest – Emily Batty, Lyndsey Harkin, Olivia Cook, Charlotte Steggles, Sophie Domingo (Rosetta Taylor, 90), Yasmin Mosby (Mai Moncaster, 73), Amy West (Gianna Mitchell, 73), Arryana Daniels, Laura-Jayne O’Neill (Georgia Hewitt, 28), Becky Anderson, Charlotte Greengrass (Naomi Powell, 87)

The Reds Reserves meanwhile, are in a two-way battle with leaders Derby County Development, in the FA Women’s National League Reserves Midlands Division, both sides collecting comfortable, home wins, on Sunday.

Second place Forest, a point behind Derby with four games remaining, won 2-0 against visitors Stoke City Reserves, whilst Derby, they thrashed Long Eaton United Development, 8-0, to keep their slender lead at the top.

It would take until the closing twenty before the Reds made the breakthrough, Summa Betts notching her sixteenth goal in just fourteen games, then, less than five minutes later, Isabella Hodson added the second, for her eighth in fifteen.

A number of games were played in the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League, Premier Division champions, Notts County, wrapping up their league campaign with a 2-1 win away to Chesterfield.

Georgina Williams afforded the hosts the lead after fifteen minutes before captain Holly Fowler equalised on the stroke of half-time.

It stayed that way until the closing throes of the game when, with five left on the clock, recent signing Katie Platts saw her one-on-one chance saved, the ball falling kindly to Elle Rowson who rocketed home the winner.

Now, with just the Nottinghamshire FA Women’s County Cup final to play, against Mansfield Town, County’s league season has seen the finish with fourteen wins and one draw, from sixteen outings.

Elsewhere in the Premier Division there was defeats for Arnold Eagles, Basford United, and Mansfield Town; Arnold lost 2-0 at home to Rotherham United, Basford were beaten 3-1 by Oughtibridge War Memorial, Summer Reece netting late on, and Mansfield were felled 5-1 on the road at Lincoln United, Amy Dawson netting a consolation.

Division One Central would see Notts County Development and Nottingham Trent University share the spoils in a six-goal thriller, the game finishing 3-3, and in Division One North, SJR Worksop lost 1-0 at Grimsby Town.

The only game played in the Notts Girls & Ladies League was in the Senior Plate, Arnold Eagles Flyers winning 3-1 at Radcliffe Olympic as Jodie Ellis, Jacee Fells, and Danielle Keetley netted for the victors. Taylor Johnson replying – they’ll play Mansfield Town Development in the final.