Abingdon United 0-2 Bristol Rovers
FA Women’s National League, The Northcourt, Sunday 11th October
Bristol Rovers Women made it three wins from three in the league as they claimed a 2-0 away victory against Abingdon United.
Following a goalless first half, it took Ellie Preece less than two minutes to put her side ahead from close range as the Gas started strongly after the break.
Libby Davies then added another goal to her ever-growing tally later in the half to double the advantage, with Rovers recording their first clean sheet of the campaign on their way up to 4th in the table.
Looking for their third league win in a row, Rovers struggled to get their foot on the ball and control things early on. Abingdon had the first half-chance of the game, with Molly Lygo curling an effort just wide.
Openings certainly weren’t aplenty, but the Gas grew into the game as it began to liven up. In one of their better early moves, Lilia Dempsey found space on the left, though she misplaced her cross into the box.
Rovers’ next opportunity came with a quarter of the game gone, and was somewhat handed to them as the referee penalised the hosts for a contentious pass back. Anais Trinci rolled the resulting indirect free-kick to Ruby Scahill, but the Yellows did well to throw bodies at the attempt from around eight yards out.
With Davies and Preece both in fine attacking form, it was only a matter of time until they were among the chances. First it was Preece’s turn to send a cross into Rovers’ number nine, who could only poke an effort just wide of the left post.
Returning the favour, Davies sought to pick out Preece in behind, but the move was scuppered by the offside flag. Shortly after, Preece found herself onside and with space to run into, forcing Maisie Thompson into a top save to keep the scoreline level.
Chloe Forrester then had one of the best opportunities of the game, but could only strike straight at George Hunt as she fended off challenges from the Gas defence.
Erin Hartigan also went close, before Thompson pulled out another smart stop to prevent Dempsey’s shot across goal, with nothing to separate the sides going into the break despite a lively end to the half.
Rovers were much the better side when play resumed, and it didn’t take long for Preece to make it a dream start. Following some defensive panic inside the box, Dempsey’s cross-cum-shot landed at the feet of Preece, who fired into the top corner from a matter of yards out to take her scoring tally to four goals in three games.
Momentum was firmly on Rovers’ side from there, with the visitors continuing to probe after going ahead. Moments following the opener, Davies came close to rounding off a superb few minutes as she dragged her shot marginally past the post.
As it continued to look like only one team would be getting the next goal, Jodie Exley strode forward and saw her shot at the near post saved from a tight angle, while Trinci could only put a free-kick into Thompson’s arms after Davies was dragged down.
Eventually, the Gas’ pressure paid off with an inevitable scorer. Davies got herself onto the scoresheet with 78 minutes on the clock, wrestling her way through the Abingdon defence to latch onto Trinci’s hook forward, before leaving the keeper no chance with a fierce finish.
Davies might have had a second as well, but just headed Layah Douglas’ perfectly measured cross over the bar in the closing stages, with Rovers moving up to 4th after securing their first clean sheet of the season and third successive league victory.
Bristol Rovers XI: Hunt, Douglas ©, Moises (Esmond 64), Turner, Wilkinson, Trinci, Exley, Preece (Temple 86), Scahill (Rees 79), Dempsey (McNama 71), Davies
Goalscorers: Preece (47), Davies (78)
Unused subs: Gordon, Tweddle, Costa
HALLETT-YOUNG: WE'VE GOT A FRONT LINE THAT'S SCORING GOALS, AND NOW WE'VE GOT A BACK LINE THAT'S KEEPING CLEAN SHEETS.
Q: Nathan, that's a third successive league win and the team's first league clean sheet. What do you make of that performance?
Nathan:
"First and foremost, it was a really solid performance. This is never an easy place to come. They'll take points off plenty of teams in this league.
The pitch plays a factor because they know how to use it, and they're a big, physical side, so for us it was important to match that physicality and deliver a solid performance. To come away with a clean sheet and three points is fantastic.
I'm pleased with how we've performed, but the biggest thing for me was the way we adapted in the second half. We set up in a certain way during the first half and it didn't quite work. We changed things after the break, and I thought the game shifted in our favour, which was great to see."
Q: Ellie and Libby made an immediate impact in the second half, and were both on the scoresheet again. What have you made of their form?
Nathan:
"I think our forward line is really clicking now, which is great to see.
At half-time, we had a conversation because we felt a few players needed to step up their game. Once we started getting contributions from all 11 players rather than eight or nine, you could really see the difference in our performance.
The change in style suited the pitch a little more, and we've got goals throughout the squad. Whether it's the players who start or the players who come off the bench, our forwards are hungry to score, and that's making a huge difference.
I think that's a big reason why we've turned a corner since the start of the season. We've got a front line that's scoring goals, and now we've got a back line that's keeping clean sheets.
That's important because it was frustrating not to get those clean sheets earlier in the season. It's a bit of a milestone for us, and hopefully it's something we can build on. We don't want to be in a position where we're always trying to outscore teams. We want to be solid at one end and clinical at the other."
DOUGLAS: OUR DEFENCE HAS BEEN SOLID IN EVERY GAME THIS SEASON, AND TODAY WAS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT.
Q: Layah, that's a third league win in a row and a clean sheet. What do you make of that performance?
Layah:
"Perfect. It's the perfect way to continue our season.
I thought the first half was quite transitional, and maybe we didn't have as much control as we would have liked, but we addressed that in the second half and managed the game much better.
We then saw two excellent finishes from Ellie and Libby, which helped us secure the result."
Q: It was also the team's first clean sheet away from home. How important is that for the defence?
Player:
"Definitely important. To be honest, I think our defence has been solid in every game this season and today was another example of that.
It's a difficult pitch to play on, but we managed the conditions really well. As a back line, we were strong throughout, and I'm really proud of the whole group for the way we defended."
Q: Looking ahead, you're finishing October strongly with three wins in a row. How are you feeling going into the next game?
Player:
"Buzzing, to be honest.
We want to keep this momentum going. We've won our last three games and now it's about continuing on that trajectory, building confidence and making sure we carry these performances into the games ahead."
