100 Up For Jessie

On the main it was a bad day at the office for the local, women’s football sides on Sunday afternoon, despite Notts County Women’s player, Jessie Knott, taking the captains armband on what was her 100th appearance for the club.

Both County, in the FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands, and Nottingham Forest, in the Women’s Super League 2, suffered heavy defeats, and in doing so slipped down their respective tables.

Carly Davies’ Forest side was undone by three, quick-fire goals, in the opening quarter of their game away league stalwarts, Durham, the hosts two-to-the-good after just six minutes following goals from Mollie Mabert and Beth Hepple.

The hosts extended their lead to three, after 23 minutes, when Venezuelan international, Mariana Speckmaier also found the back of the net; victory for the hosts saw them move up to seventh, two points and a place behind Forest, who slipped to sixth.

Meanwhile, back in Nottingham, FAWNL Division One side, Adam Dunleavy’s Notts County, they fell to a 4-0 loss against visiting Worcester City, a game that saw milestones for both clubs.

For the hosts, Jessie Knott captained the side in what was her hundredth appearance, although it should have been many more but for an ACL injury back in 2021, having made her first appearance at 22-years-old.

On the other side of the pitch, the visitors would see three of their four goals come courtesy of Maia Clark; having made her debut in the Women’s FA Cup win away to Stanground Cardea Sports the previous week, coming on as a half-time substitute, the striker marked her first start for the club, with her first goals.

County were a goal behind after twenty minutes, Clark with her first for the club, and two behind ten minutes before the break; the visitors added two more in the second half with Clark netting again on 78 and 82 minutes.

NOTTS COUNTY – Jasmine Ottewell, Hayleigh Sutton, Annie Taylor, Leah Hardy, Emily Brett, Jessie Knott (capt), Shoniqua Barnes, Laura Vine, Neve Hincks, Takiah Parkes, Eloise Hemborough (Rhea Bailey, Chloe Greaves, Rebecca Matthews, Jessica Jones, Grace Jones, Toni McHamilton, Nikki Russell)

Meanwhile, the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League saw action in the opening round of their League Cup, won last season by Sheffield FC (now in the FAWNL D1M following a League and Cup double), however, it was a dismal outing for the Notts-based clubs.

Nine were action, of which only two progressed to the next round, three with West Bridgford having been granted a home walkover against Lincoln City.

Of the two progressing, one was Andi Bell’s County Cup holders, Mansfield Town, who were runners-up in the League Plate last season, and the other was Notts County Development, both having registered home wins.

Mansfield were goalless at the interval when hosting Stamford, but progressed courtesy of second half goals from Ainsley Allan, Millie Edwards, and Millie Mellors, and Notts County’s second string progressed 3-1 at home to Lincoln United Development courtesy of goals from Amelia Brown, Skye Wright, and Anastasia Kanolis.

MANSFIELD TOWN – Amy Price, Katelyn McFarlane, Chloe Hutsby (capt), Georgina Clements, Katie Platts, Millie Mellors, Megan Brierley, Elisha Whittaker, Ainsley Allan, Shannon Purdy, Olivia Standeven (Millie Edwards, Jemma Wheatley, Libby Bartlett, Monica Bowley)

There was narrow heartbreak for a number of local sides, three going down 3-2 as SJR Worksop lost at Anstey Nomads, and there were home reversals for Arnold Eagles against Leicester City, and for Nottingham Trent University against Chesterfield Community.

Sherwood was edged 1-0 at home off Belper Town, whilst University of Nottingham couldn’t replicate their FA Cup form, losing 6-1 to visitors New Bradwell St. Peters, with Newark Town and Basford United both conceding eight apiece, the former losing 8-0 at home to Chesterfield, the latter 8-2 at Melbourne Dynamo.