Reds Moving Up In WSL2

A second win of the season, under the Friday Night Lights in Bristol, saw Carly Davies’ Nottingham Forest move up to fourth place in the WSL2, and within four points of joint-leaders Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic.

The game turned at the end of the first half when the hosts, Bristol City, were reduced to ten following a red card for Sophie Ingle; at the dismissal the hosts were a goal to the good after Camila Saez’s opener seventeen minutes earlier.

City would take the lead when Harley Bennett, on their right of the box, floated a beautiful ball across the goal and is headed past Emily Batty by Saez, with Forest defenders rooted between the scorer and ‘keeper.

With Ingle seeing red minutes before the interval, the second half quickly belonged to the visitors, turning in their favour as the game moved into the final fifteen minutes.

Rose and Claypole combined for the equaliser, with the latter playing in Freya Thomas to score, then, minutes later, the turnaround was complete when a shot from range, from Rodgers, clips the bar and goes in off the home ‘keeper.

With the Reds now into fourth place, they’ll look forward to this coming Sunday’s (5 October) home game against second bottom Portsmouth with renewed optimism.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST – Emily Batty, Ebba Hed (Caragh Hamilton, 53), Mollie Green, Jessie Stapleton, Kirsty Smith, Tove Almqvist (Aimee Claypole, 59), Amy Rodgers (Hollie Olding, 91), Freya Thomas, Chantelle Boye-Hlkorah, Deanne Rose, Vivienne Lia

Notts County were in cup action in the FA Women’s League, in their third group game, this a 4-2 win on the road at Lincoln United.

A first-half hat-trick from Takiah Parkes got the visitors on their way and, although Lincoln pulled one back within five minutes of the restart, County quickly restored their advantage through Chloe Greaves’ first for the club immediately after.

Lincoln again reduced County’s deficit in the closing minutes, but the visitors had done enough to seal the win, their second in the group after a 2-0 result at Sheffield earlier in the month.

It was also cup action for most sides in the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League, Mansfield Town top-scoring to progress to the next round of the Nottinghamshire FA Women’s County Cup.

Katie Platts fired five of their goals as they romped to a 14-0 win away to a plucky, Shirebrook Rangers; six goals to the good at the break, Mansfield would add further goals via an Olivia Standeven hat-trick, a brace from Millie Mellors, and one apiece for Elisha Whitaker, Monica Bowley, Ainsley Allan, and Chloe Hutsby.

University of Nottingham continued their early season cup form with a 5-2 win at Ollerton Town, and Basford United eased past visiting Eastwood & Kimberley, 4-1; meanwhile there were also a handful of league games played.

Notts County Development and Arnold Eagles both registered home wins, the former winning 2-1 against visiting Cleethorpes Town thanks to goals from Orla Leyland, and the latter 1-0 against Lincoln United Development with Natasha Leach netting the only goal.

The other game would see Newark Town beaten 8-3 at Grimsby Town Academy, the hosts seeing Molly North fire a four-goal salvo alongside a brace for Bethany Wharton, the visitors’ consolations coming via a Kirsty Naismith brace, and one from Jessica Hogg.

The draw has also been made for the Third Qualifying Round of the Women’s FA Cup, ties to be played Sunday 5 October; concerning Notts-based clubs they are as follows –

Brookside Athletic vs. SJR Worksop; Thurmaston DPC Vixens vs. Mansfield Town; Brunsmeer Athletic vs. University of Nottingham; Basford United vs. Solihull Moors; Peterborough United vs. Notts County.