They say that there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal - well Harraby had a point to prove in our 1st match since the 21st March when we knocked them out of the cup; they were also looking to get their title challenge back on track after their shock defeat to Dalton four days ago. Newlaithes were without a number of key players on a hard and uneven Melbourne Park pitch but they welcomed back Holly in defence after a long lay-off due to illness.
The game started fairly evenly with both sides good in bits and scrappy in bits but after 16 minutes, Harraby opened the scoring with a ball pulled back from the bye-line on the right-hand side for a crisp finish from the edge of the box that went in off the under-side of the bar. Both sides had a number of chances after that but poor finishing kept the score the same until the 43rd minute when Katie M's attempted clearance was charged down by a Harraby forward and the ball bounced straight into the path of a fellow Harraby striker who tapped in at the far post. Then to rub salt in the wounds, two minutes into injury time the ref awarded a soft penalty when a Harraby forward went down in the box about a yard from the goal line, when the ball had already gone out of play. The penalty was duly despatched to make it 3-0 at half time.
Sarah Currie from the U16's came on for the second half to make her debut in the centre of defence but 5 minutes later, Laura O had to come off with a knee injury. Sarah P came on into midfield and Faye pushed forward. Immediately, the side looked more assured and began to pass the ball around, causing some panic in the Harraby defence but without creating any clear-cut chances. Then came the killer blow in the 65th minute when a soft bobbling shot from the left beat Katie M and nestled into the bottom corner for Harraby's 4th. Newlaithes continued to play with spirit though and in the 80th minute Faye was fouled just outside the right hand angle of the box. Unfortunately she suffered a nasty arm injury and had to leave the pitch. Laura W stepped up to take the free kick and struck a brilliant high, curling left footed shot into the top left corner. With no subs remaining, Newlaithes played out the rest of the game with 10 players. Four minutes later Harraby got their 5th when a cross from the right sailed over Katie M and in at the far post. Final score, 5-1.
It would be easy to say that the score flattered Harraby due to the nature of their goals but the truth is, they were much sharper throughout and with better finishing could have had more. That said, Newlaithes did create some good chances of their own but weren't able to capitalise. On balance though it was Harraby's night and they fully deserved the win. So now Newlaithes are the wounded animal - can we bounce back against Abbeytown on Sunday?
Highlight of the game was Sarah C's debut in defence, with a sharp and assured performance that earned her a deserved player of the match award. Lowlight was injuries to Faye and Laura O - Hopefully they will be recovered in time for Sunday's match away to Abbeytown in Wigton.
