Features

The Season so far… The Reserves

Published by Gillingham Ladies Media on December 30, 2010

The Reserves kicked off their season a little bit later than everyone else at the beginning of September and they haven’t looked back since.

They have been on the front foot since the first game of the season when they made their debut in (Reserves) Southern Division Two.

Colchester Reserves away was the Ladies first game of the season and Colchester were considered to be one of the favourites for the League.

Yet they were dispatched by a Gills team with far more quality from one to eleven as they came away with a creditable 4-0 victory.

Kylie Overton opened the scoring in the 18^th minute when Whitney Judd cut a ball out and played in the striker. She then pressured the centre half and the keeper before slotting into the back of the net.

It was 2-0 shortly after half time when Captain Kimi Bolden played a ball across the Colchester box and Kirsty Goodall fired home. Kylie Overton made it 3-0 shortly after when she volleyed home an Amy Taylor cross.

Amy Taylor then rounded off the scoring on her competitive debut after a ball from the back from Anelle Massey picked her out, and she tapped home.

The Reserves proved that they weren’t a flash in the pan when they played Brighton Reserves in their very next game at Martin Grove.

They dispatched Brighton 5-1 and it was Kylie Overton who continued her impressive early season form with a hat trick, and Anelle Massey and Jodie Mugford weighed in with a goal apiece.

Overton netted her first in the 17^th minute after a defence splitting pass from Jodie Mugford left her with the simple task of slotting home.

The Reserves went further ahead in the 25^th minute when a clearance landed at the feet of Jodie Mugford who took a touch and smashed her shot into the roof of the net.

Mugford was pulling the strings in this game as she played in Kylie Overton to slot home her second of the game into an empty net.  She completed her hat trick two minutes into the second half when Anelle Massey picked her out and Kylie turned and hit a shot into the top right corner.

It was 5-0 soon after when a pass from Kirsty Goodall picked out Anelle Massey. The midfielder raced into the Brighton area before hitting a shot in off the near post.  Brighton pulled a goal back late on from the penalty spot late on, Natalie Farbrace committed the foul and Emma Millington slotted past Jessica Nunn.

Queens Park Rangers were the next team to venture to Martin Grove and leave on the wrong side of a five goal score line.  The Reserves ran out 5-0 victors to cement their place at the top of the League.

They were ahead as early as the 4^th minute when Charlotte Abbott opened the scoring. Kirsty Goodall fed the ball into the striker who turned and hit a shot into the top corner.

In the 17^th minute Whitney Judd sent a corner into the QPR box and Kirsty Goodall headed home at the near post.  The Gills got a third in the 34^th minute through a screamer from Anelle Massey after good inter play between Whitney Judd and Kirsty Goodall sent her through on goal, she hit a shot into the top corner.

The Fourth goal came late in the second half, a Lauren Harris shot crashed back off the post and Whitney Judd slotted home her first ever League goal for the Gills. The game was over in the 86^th minute when Kirsty Goodall bagged her second goal of the game hitting a shot into the bottom corner after a through ball from Whitney Judd.

Tomorrow in The Season so far Part Two we bring you the fixtures up to the Christmas break.