Match: Preston North End versus Wigan
Date:
10 September 2016, 10:30am Kick-off
Venue: UCLAN
Today’s Team:
Abby Hamer
Abi Doyle
Abby Harrison
Caitlin
Niamh
Ellie
Kate
Evie
Chloe
Taylor
Annie
Alisha
Sarah
Our first match of the new season was a mouth-watering home clash against Wigan, who we
last played under the floodlights at Burscough in the Cup final.
With a full team available Carl and Chris were looking for the girls to put into practice all of
the hard work that had been done on the training ground.
The weather for once was bright and sunny unlike the deluge of rain that had greeted us the
week before in a friendly against Burnley. The pitch was in very good condition; the grass cut
short which would undoubtedly suit the girls fast passing game.
Preston started on the front foot and within a minute Taylor's through ball found Sarah
whose low shot forced a good save from the Wigan keeper. It was clear the girls were going
to force the tempo from the outset and were straight back on the attack when Kate found
Alisha whose angled drive was parried wide. From the resulting corner Annie headed
skilfully down to Sarah who tucked the ball neatly past the keeper giving the girls a 1-0 lead
with barely two minutes gone on the clock.
Wigan were struggling to cope with the high pressure football the girls were producing and
after 5 minutes following a great tackle by Abi D and a quick interchange of passes with Evie
she played the ball to Annie who set up Sarah who stroked the ball home for goal number 2.
Preston looked very comfortable and in complete control of the game, moving the ball
around quickly, utilising the space well, with all of the players looking relaxed on the ball.
Wigan were trying to find a foothold in the game and from a long through ball they looked
like they were going to score only for Ellie to make a fantastic tackle and then send Evie
down the left wing. Her low cross was gathered by Sarah who completed her hatrick with a
delightful curling left foot strike into the top corner of the net.
Preston were rampant and after a superb through ball down the Wigan left by Kate, Alisha
hit a thunderous drive which looked like it was flying into the top of the net only for the
keeper to push it round the post. From the resulting corner Taylor found an unmarked Annie
who headed in at the back post for number 4.
Wigan were clearly shell shocked but they kept looking to find a way back into the match and
after 15 minutes they managed to do so. A quick midfield one-two ended with a through pass
to the Wigan striker who managed to drill the ball home off the finger-tips of Abby Hamer
who so nearly saved it!
Wigan were causing more of a threat now but when they did manage to break into our
half they were either hunted down by Kate, Abi D or they were met by the towering presence
of Ellie who would calmly dispossess them off the ball, and look to quickly get the girls back
on the move to start the next Preston attack.
Alisha’s lightning speed down the right wing was causing havoc to the Wigan defence and
following yet another attack her driven cross found Annie who slipped it to Sarah for a 5th
Preston goal.
Twenty minutes into the game, Preston made their first substitutions with Abbey Harrison,
Caitlin, Niamh and Chloe replacing Taylor, Alisha, Kate and Evie.
The girls continued to play scintillating football and on the stroke of half time following a
superb waited pass by Caitlin, Chloe’s cross was met by Sarah who this time returned the
favour for Annie to side foot the ball into the corner of the net to make the score an incredible
6-1.
Before the end of the first half, other chances to go further ahead fell to Sarah (wide), and
Chloe (saved), again all created from some fantastic build up involving the girls.
Half-time: Preston North End 6 Wigan 1
Our first chance of the second half came after 2 minutes, when a superb volley from Abi D
flew just wide of the Wigan goal – after a good build up involving Ellie, Niamh, and Chloe.
Wigan however to their credit never let their heads drop and started to close our girls down
very quickly resulting in them having far more possession and it was only thanks to two great
saves from Abby Hamer in quick succession that the score remained the same.
However it was Preston who struck next, following some fancy footwork from Chloe in the
midfield, the ball found Sarah on the right wing whose low cross was met by Annie coming in
from the left unmarked to hammer home number 7.
Taylor, Alisha, Kate and Evie were re-introduced to the play.
Preston were maintaining the vast majority of possession but Wigan were clearly making the
girls battle to win every ball with some very tough and uncompromising tackling. Following a
sustained bout of Wigan pressure they managed to grab a second goal with a powerful strike
from the edge of the box that Abby Hamer managed to get a touch to but couldn’t prevent
form going into the net.
It was end to end stuff now and certainly not a game for the faint hearted as the tempo
raised so did the tackles as both sets of girls battled to win the ball to drive their team
forward. Ellie, Caitlin, Niamh and Abby Harrison were throwing everything they had into
keeping Wigan from scoring. Next is was Preston’s turn and following great work again from
Alisha on the flanks, Taylor’s snap shot from the edge of the box was well saved by the
Wigan keeper, tipping the ball past the bottom right hand post.
Preston were inches away from another goal with 12 minutes left on the clock when Caitlin’s
pacey run found Chloe whose pass fell to Alisha whose cross shot beat everyone but trickled
agonisingly past the right hand post, with the keeper beaten.
It was soon Wigan’s turn and our defenders were having to dig deep; following another
Wigan attack and as the ball headed towards the Preston net Abby Harrison from nowhere
managed to slide and clear the ball away from danger. I think we may have already seen the
best goal line clearance of the season!
The girls were always looking to find pockets of space between the Wigan’s midfield and
defence and Taylor managed to slide the ball to Sarah on the right wing and her cross was
once again met by Annie coming on from the left to side foot in number 8 past the helpless
keeper.
The referee blew the final whistle to bring a pulsating game to an end.
Full time result
Preston North End 8 v Wigan 2