It was back to league action following the excitement of last week's FA Cup encounter as the Ladies travelled to play Penrith AFC Development. Newlaithes were missing top scorer Emma Sisson and attacking midfielders Alison McCorry and Laura Webster.
Penrith kicked off proceedings but it was Newlaithes who put on the early pressure. However Penrith were well organised and they started to play some nice passing football themselves and as the half progressed, they looked the tidier of the two teams. Newlaithes were enjoying some territorial advantage but looked ragged as time after time they conceded possession cheaply, with the Penrith team quick to close down and intercept. Newlaithes came close with several efforts without really troubling the Penrith keeper while at the other end, the Newlaithes defence held firm, despite Penrith's quality build up play and it stayed 0-0 at half-time.
Newlaithes looked to close down the space better in the 2nd half as they upset Penrith's rhythm and on 53 minutes they took the lead when Paige Williams intercepted a Penrith goal-kick to thump the ball over the keeper's head and into the net from just outside the area, despite the keeper getting both hands to the ball. Five minutes later and it was two; Pat Currie played the ball through her marker's legs from wide on the left to Claire Blackburn. Claire played a delightful ball into the area for Tasha Scott to run onto. She flicked the ball past the advancing keeper to finish from a tight angle. Four minutes later and Newlaithes scored their third when Mairead Kinsella played the ball into space on the edge of the Penrith area for Tasha Scott to chase. Unfortunately for Penrith their defender went down in the battle for the 50/50 ball. Tasha recovered the ball in space and squared to right winger, Gemma Dawber to blast the ball home from short range to score her first goal for the club against her former team mates. Penrith kept battling but they were unable to reproduce the fluency of the 1st half as Newlaithes worked hard to intercept the ball and cut off the supply to the Penrith forwards. However the home team didn't let their heads drop and they forced a number of corners but were unable to make the breakthrough. Newlaithes had the ball in the net again on 71 minutes when Chelsea Norris finished from close range but she was given off-side. Both teams kept battling until the end but the score remained 3-0 at full-time.
This wasn't a pretty game from Newlaithes' perspective and it's fair to say that of the two teams, Penrith played the more flowing football in the 1st half. However the Newlaithes players rolled their sleeves up in the 2nd half and scrapped for everything to deny Penrith time on the ball, with Mairead Kinsella working her socks off up front and player of the match Gemma Dawber putting in a live-wire performance on the right hand side. The Penrith team has come on leaps and bounds since last season and they played some quality football. Newlaithes never really got any rhythm going; perhaps the number of substitutions had a part to play but there were below par performances from several of the players who know they can do much better. Still it's three points in the bag so well done to the girls for grinding out a battling victory.
There is no match scheduled for next week as the team has received a bye into the quarter final of the County Cup so the next game is on Sunday 28th away to Keswick.
