First Team, Match Reports

Gills Ladies 0-2 West Ham Ladies

Published by Gillingham Ladies Media on April 28, 2011

The Gills played with pride, passion and belief tonight and attacked to try and do everything to ensure they stayed in the Southern Premiership for a second season.

The result just didn’t go their way and goals from Carly Roache and Nina Downham saw West Ham leave with all three points from Martin Grove.

Knowing they needed something from the game the Gills did their best and created numerous chances and hit the bar through Danni Farmer, but in Nikki Duncan they found a keeper in fine form.

They can be proud of the way they played on the night, they now need to hope that Yeovil draw or lose away to Portsmouth in their final game to be in a play-off game to stay in the Southern Premiership.

The Ladies attacked from the off and a Lauren Williams cross in the 2nd minute evaded both Natalie Crinean and Lauren Phillips in the six yard box.

In the 7th minute Natalie Crinean picked the ball up in the centre circle and drove straight for goal, taking the ball around two defenders, as she got into the area she fired her shot at the outrushing Nikki Duncan.

The closest the Gills came to scoring in the opening period came in the 13th minute when a Leah Jones cross was met by Danni Farmer, but she saw her header hit the bar and go over for a goal kick.

After a frantic opening to the game the middle part turned into a battle for possession without creating many chances for either side.

In the 37th minute West Ham got their first real sight at goal. Danni Farmer handled the ball around 30 yards from goal, and Joanne Woodgate hit the resulting free-kick over Katie Duffy’s cross bar.

A Leah Jones cross was cut out in the 40th minute, the loose ball fell to Deanna Cooper and her shot from distance crashed wide of the near post.

Just before half time Emma Thomas whipped a corner in and Becky Merritt rose highest but headed over unchallenged.

Half Time 0-0

In the second half the Gills came out and played exactly the way they did in the first half and took the game to their opponents.

Deanna Cooper made a great run from midfield and down the right wing before whipping a cross into the area, but no one could get on the end of an excellent cross.

Becky Merritt fed the ball to Carly Roache who got a sight of goal and shot from distance that went over Katie Duffy’s cross bar.

The Gills best chance to score in the second half came in the 53rd minute when Nikki Duncan gifted the ball to Natalie Crinean outside the area. She turned and fed the ball to Lauren Phillips she fired a shot on goal that was cleared off the line by a West Ham defender.

Six minutes later and Lauren Phillips heads the ball on to Natalie Crinean, she turned her defender and fired a shot just wide.

Just after the hour mark the Gills had two great chances to score but came up against a keeper in Nikki Duncan who was in fine form. First a Leah Jones corner and a Danni Farmer shot is really well saved. Then Danni Farmer was fouled and Leah Jones fired in a free-kick from 20 yards that saw Duncan dive full stretch to save the shot.

With 15 minutes left West Ham made it an uphill struggle for the Gills when Carly Roache broke into the Gills box and lifted her shot over Katie Duffy and into the roof of the net to make it 1-0.

The Gills knew that they only needed a point to stay in the Southern Premiership and they started to attack to get back into the game.

However, in the 83rd minute the Gills were hit with a counter attack and a ball split the Gills defence and Nina Downham nipped in between Sian Cheedy and Katie Duffy to poke home.

In extra time the Gills had one final chance to get on the score sheet and help their goal difference, when Leah Jones found Temi who turned and fired her shot just wide.

The Ladies put everything into the game and deserved to get the point they needed to stay in the Southern Premiership, now they have to rely on Yeovil getting a draw or losing to Portsmouth to be in a one off play-off game to stay in the League.

Full Time 0-2

Gills: Duffy, Williams, Cheedy, Jones S, Carlton, Cooper (Abbott, 59), Farmer (c), Ashton-Jones, Jones L, Crinean (Overton, 89), Phillips (Temi, 76)

Subs not used: Judd, Mugford

West Ham: Duncan, Woodgate, Revell, Sullivan, Grafton, Thomas, Little, Roache, Duxbury, Merritt, Downham

Subs: Shepherd, Xidhas, Wosahlo, Southgate