Women's football news
Coventry United 1-2 Lewes
FA Women’s Championship
Sunday 15 September
It was last minute drama for Lewes as the Rooks left it late to win all three points against Coventry United and keep their unbeaten run going.
Lewes looked to get some quick pressure to start the game and won an early corner on two minutes, but Caitlin Hayes couldn’t quite reach Filipa Savva’s cross.
Four minutes later and it was the home side who had their first attack of the game, but the cross was saved comfortably by Faye Baker.
On 13 minutes Jess King tried to go for the spectacular as she hit an effort from range after she spotted Coventry’s Sue Wood off her line, but she managed to get back just in time and tip it over the bar.
Seven minutes later and it was King with another chance. This time Zoe Ness played the ball in to the Number 10 and she tried to chip the goalkeeper, but it was tipped wide.
The resulting corner was swung in and Hayes managed to get her head to it, but Wood got down low to tip it around the post.
On 25 minutes Coventry scored the opener. A corner was played in and fell to Chelsea Weston on the edge of the box and she fired low into the goal to beat Baker.
Coventry then thought they had doubled their lead six minutes later, but the flag was raised for offside.
Katie Rood had the final chance of the half as she was set free and tried to curl an effort into the far corner, but it went just wide.
In the second-half the Rooks came out firing. On 48 minutes Ness scored the equaliser for Lewes. Some good play between King and Ness allowed the number nine to chip the ball in to the corner and level the score.
Chances were harder to come by in the second half, as both sides defended solidly. On 63 minutes King tried her luck from the edge of the box, but it went just over.
Nine minutes later and Ellie Noble played in a great corner to the back post which almost crept in.
Moments later and Noble played in another great ball this time to Hayes who headed just wide from close range.
In the final minute of the game the Rooks’ pressure finally paid off. Emma Jones, who came off the bench, looked set to shoot but squared the ball to Ness instead, who shot low into the corner to win all three points for Lewes.
After the game goal scorer Ness said: “We said at the end there that it’s about keeping going for 90 minutes and getting out of the game what we think we deserved. So, that was the three points that we deserved out of that game.”
Manager Fran Alonso was full of praise for the second half performance saying: “The girls really deserved it, they worked very well and very hard and credit to them because at half-time they were disappointed. Like the first league game we came back strong in the second half and made a difference. It’s a very important three points for us.”
Coventry United Starting XI: Wood (C); Crackle, Miles (Austin 34), Bartle, Formaston, Axten, Hughes, Worts (Dermody 77), Weston (O’Brien 64), Morris, Morgan
Subs not used: Johnson, Wathan, Gardner, Anderson, Chong,
Goals: Weston 25
Yellow Cards: Formaston 90
Lewes Starting XI: Baker; Quayle, Cleverly, Hayes, O’Rourke (Timoney 69), Savva, Lane (Noble 46), Rood (Jones 60), King, Donovan, Ness
Subs not used: McIntyre, Taylor, Foster, Rowbotham,
Goals: Ness 48, 91