Cray Wanderers Women vs Tunbridge Wells Foresters – SECWFL Premier – Sunday 10th November – Match Report
Cray Wanderers Women 4
Kulishko 14, Ashdown 28, Pooley 54,
Main 90+1 pen
Tunbridge Wells Foresters 3
Leech 18, Underhill 31, 67
Cray Wanderers moved up to 4th in the SECWFL Premier table after another dramatic afternoon as Millie Main’s stoppage time penalty completed a league double over Tunbridge Wells Foresters in a game where Cray led four times.
The Wands were 7-3 winners when the two teams met at Tunbridge Wells in September and this was another match with plenty of goals in a highly competitive game.
Cray in 5th place at the start of the game had drawn 3-3 with Margate last Sunday and from that side Katie Jackson picked up a serious leg injury and Olivia Gregory also was missing with injury and Annemarie Blanche suspended so not totally at full strength.
Before the game there was an immaculately observed two minutes silence for Remembrance Sunday and from here the match began at a brisk pace but was fairly even for the first quarter of an hour.
Cray had the first opening of the match when Chloe Ashdown found Hrystyna Kulishko down the left of he area and her cross-shot was well defended and cleared off the line.
For Foresters, Kelly Moran fired over from a free kick from 30 yards while for Cray, Millie Main shot wide.
In the 14th minute, Cray took the lead when Vittoria D’Urso’s fine ball put Kulishko through on goal and applied a cool finish, slotting past Helena Fothergill from 12 yards.
Tunbridge Wells were league runners-up last season and four minutes later drew level when down the left, the lively Orla Leech found space and crashed home a fine shot into the bottom right corner.
In the 28th minute Cray restored the lead when Ashdown started a move which saw a return pass from Jessica Pooley and down the left of the area squeezed a shot into the right corner of the net.
Still though Tunbridge Wells wouldn’t lie down and three minutes later made it 2-2 when Maisie Gibb’s left wing cross was touched against the right post by Leech but came out to Lauryn Underhill who tucked home a finish at the near post.
From here the game was an interesting battle with the nearest either team came to taking the lead was for Foresters when a left wing corner was cleared almost off the line by Ellie Cole.
HT: 2-2
The second half began a bit slowly with Wells close when Underhill’s right wing cross fizzed across goal but Cray had the clearest shooting chance when Pooley shot wide of the left post.
In the 54th minute Cray took the lead for the third time with a fine goal with Main finding Louise Chenery who down the right played a great ball over to the left to Pooley who from just inside the area hit a powerfully hit shot which beat Fothergill at the left post.
Tunbridge Wells had a decent spell of pressure after this and from a corner, Louisa Lippiatt-Durnell saw a shot blocked who later set up Underhill in the area but was denied by a good tackle from Sam Sharp. Then Gibb shot wide of the right post.
In the 67th minute Tunbridge Wells levelled for the third time when down the right Underhill cut inside and hit a crisp curling shot into the bottom left corner of the net.
From here, Underhill on a hat-trick fired a shot into the side netting down the right ahead a host of substitutions for Cray which included a debut for Ellie Rivers.
For Cray, a free kick from Ellie Cole hit the wall and the follow up saw a shot held by Fothergill while for Tunbridge Wells, Lottie Evershed down the right saw a shot held by Sharp and Main fired a shot off target for Cray.
The match just looked like it might just be going to be back to back 3-3 draws for Cray but in the first minute of stoppage time, Rivers was pulled down inside the area and a penalty was awarded by the referee who was well placed. From the spot, Main kept her cool to slot home with confidence to put Cray in front once again.
With still five minutes stoppage time to go Cray this time were able to hang on with the closest Tunbridge Wells came was a shot a from Gibb claimed by Sharp but in the end the Wands held out and picked up a big three points to move up to 4th in the table on 16 points and just three points behind joint leaders Sevenoaks Town and London Road.
Tunbridge Wells were very resilient but for me Cray always seemed to hold the edge in the game and showed character especially without the likes of Claire Goldsmith, Katie Jackson, Olivia Gregory, Emily Symonds and Annemarie Blanche on the day and are such a great team to watch with unquenchable team spirit and would definitely recommend any Sunday afternoon to give them a watch.
Cray’s next game will be on Sunday 17th November vs London Road in the Kent County Cup/Women’s Plate 1st Round with kick off 3 pm.
Cray Wanderers: Sam Sharp, Okasia Brown (Hannah Atkins, 86), Hannah Gilmour (Grace Dodds, 80), Vittoria D’Urso, Ellie Cole, Megan Webster, Louise Chenery (Kiera Syms, 76), Millie Main, Hrystyna Kulishko, Chloe Ashdown (Danielle Smith, 84), Jessica Pooley (Ellie Rivers, 73)
Tunbridge Wells: Helena Fothergill, Adi Stapleton Berry, Louisa Lippiatt-Durnell, Courtney Smith, Katie Allen, Meg Bliss, Kelly Moran, Olivia Carter, Lauryn Underhill, Orla Leech, Maisie Gibb. Subs: Lottie Evershed, Hollie Rabbitt, Nina Flach
Referee: Connor Robbins
