Wheatcroft Leading Revival At Basford

Having initially stepped away from coaching overall in mid-October last year, Matt Wheatcroft’s ‘retirement’ didn’t last all that long, and he’s now leading a revival in Basford.

With coaching experience at the likes of Derby County Women, Chesterfield Ladies, and most recently Mansfield Town Ladies, Wheatcroft returned to the dugout in December when it was announced he was to be taking the reins at Basford United Ladies.

The East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Division One Central side had only won two games, both of which came at the start of the season, against Melbourne Dynamo Ladies (2-0) in the league, and to Eastwood & Kimberley (4-1) in the County Cup.

Since then, there’s been seven straight losses (in all competitions) but Wheatcroft, who has brought his daughter, striker Olivia Wheatcroft, with him to Greenwich Avenue, has finally got the new regime off to a winning start.

Of his appointment, back in mid-December, Wheatcroft said: “It’s great to be given the opportunity at Basford United to take over as Ladies First Team Manager.

“Basford have fantastic ground and facilities, and a couple of years ago had a really strong team that was competing in Tier 5 and winning county cups.

“They were always a force to be reckoned with when we played against them.”

With the trip to West Bridgford Colts postponed at the start of the year, his managerial bow came in the trip to previously unbeaten, Nottingham Trent University, who’d won all five league matches.

Basford meanwhile named eight debutants in Wheatcroft’s first game, and rewarded him with a 3-1 success; those eight debutants would be Olivia Valentine, Phoebe Meacham, Hannah Lumley, Ava Hardeman, Liv Wheatcroft, Fran Brown, Holly El-Gothamy, and Charlotte Duthie.

Two of those eight would find the back of the net when, following a goalless first half, Jade Eaglefield, along with goals from debutants Duthie and Hardeman, afforded Basford three, very valuable points, and they’ll now look to push into the top five in the second half of the season.

BASFORD UTD – Olivia Valentine, Phoebe Meacham, Jasmine Mulraine-Allen, Paige Rogers, Izzy Wretham, Hannah Lumley, Ava Hardeman, Lexi Oliver, Jade Eaglefield, Liv Wheatcroft (subs – Fran Brown, Holly El-Gothamy, Ella Dorman, Charlotte Duthie, Maja Kocik)

Elsewhere in the EMWRL, Mansfield Town and SJR Worksop were not in action in the Premier Division, whilst in Division One North, Notts County Development slipped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Chesterfield CTFC.

Whilst in Division One Central, University of Nottingham inflicted a double-figure thrashing on visitors West Bridgford Colts, and Sherwood lost an eight-goal thriller at home to Coalville Town Ravens.

Mansfield and SJR Worksop are next in action on 25 January, the former with five out of their next six at home beginning with the visit of Northampton Town in the League Cup, whilst SJR face a tough run of six straight away games, taking in trips to Cleethorpes Town, Rotherham United, Chesterfield, Gainsborough Trinity, Mansfield Town, and Stamford.

Meanwhile, Women’s Super League 2 side, Nottingham Forest, exited the Women’s FA Cup when losing 2-0 away to a Brighton & Hove Albion side who netted at the end of each half; Madi Haley opened the scoring with a first half stoppage time penalty, and Jelena Cankovic sealed the win with their goal, in the ninety-second minute.

Notts County slipped to an eighth defeat in thirteen in the FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands, hosts Peterborough United, who sit second, picking up a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Jess Rousseau (2) and Hayley James.

Their Reserves are also having a tough season, sitting second bottom in the Reserve Northern Division, winning eight of their ten games thus far, and return to action on 1 February when they host joint-leaders, Stoke City Development.