Cray Wanderers Women vs Parkwood Rangers Ladies
SECWFL Premier – Sunday 12th January – Match Report
Cray Wanderers 3
Main 10 pen, Hyner 19, Atkins 26
Parkwood Rangers 2
Vale 22 pen, Tompsett 39
Cray Wanderers Women moved up into 4th place in the SECWFL Premier after a hard fought victory against Parkwood Rangers at a very chilly Flamingo Park in the team’s first game of 2025.
The first half was fast paced and produced five goal including two penalties while the second half was perhap more cagey but Cray produced a good defensive performance to see out the game.
The match began briskly and Cray came close when Millie Main who scored a hat-trick when the teams met on 8th December steered a shot just past the left post.
However, in the 10th minute Cray took the lead after Hannah Atkins was brought down the right of thea area by Zoe Evans for a penalty kick. From the spot Main struck a confident penalty to make it 1-0.
Cray pressed for a second and duly arrived in the 19th minute when from a corner down the left, Ellie Cole’s cross into a crowded six yard box was glanced in by Ellie Hyner for her first Cray Wanderers goal.
Parkwood Rangers though got back into the match three minutes later, again from the penalty spot when Lizzie Nugent was clipped inside the box and Rhea Vale scored to make it 2-1.
As has been commonplace this season Cray went back on the attack and Main down the left found Chloe Ashdown whose shot was deflected towards goal and possibly would have scored but Atkins looked to get the final touch to make it 3-1.
It wasn’t a game of many goal scoring chances but the fifth goal of the half came in the 39th minute when Parkwood pulled another goal with a well taken goal by Faye Tompsett who broke into the area, found space and drilled a shot past Sam Sharp.
Before half time Main almost scored her second after a pass from Cole and she saw her shot spilled round the left post by Jemma Roodenburgh. The resulting corner saw the ball come to Main who shot wide.
HT: 3-2
The second half was mostly half chances with Parkwood having the bulk of possession and came close early on to scoring when Alex Foulds fired wide of goal. Then from a free kick down the left of the area, Vale’s shot was gathered by Sam Sharp
Parkwood certainly didn’t look like a side in 8th place and thought they had scored just after the hour when Tompsett’s shot from inside the area went just past the right post and into the side netting.
Cray looked to get back on the attack and from a free kick down the right, Cole’s fine ball in just couldn’t get a touch inside the six yard box from Annemarie Blanche and went across goal.
The game got a bit more stretched going into the latter stages and for Cray, Ellie River found Main down the left of the area but the ball went wide. Then for Parkwood, Tompsett hit a dipping shot which was well claimed by Sharp.
For Cray, Cole set up Hrystyna Kulishko for a shot which was held by Roodenburgh and then Cole fired well wide from distance.
Going into six minutes of added time, Parkwood pressed for a leveller and from a corner a cross into the box was glanced towards goal but cleared almost off the line.
Then with the last opportunity of the game from a corner down the right, the cross was glanced wide of goal by Tompsett.
In the end Cray saw out the game to continue their fine first season in the SECWFL Premier and on twenty points are just five behind second placed Maidstone United with four games in hand despite being without top scorer Katie Jackson, Olivia Gregory, Jessica Pooley and Claire Goldsmith
Next Sunday sees a break from league action with the Wands heading to Larkfield in the 3rd Round of the Kent FA Women’s Plate, 1 pm kick off. The next league game will be at Margate on 26th January.
Cray Wanderers: Sam Sharp, Megan Webster, Vittoria D’Urso, Ellie Cole, Okasia Brown, Ellie Hyner (Lauren Henry, 58), Hannah Atkins (Kiera Syms, 75), Annemarie Blanche (Grace Dodds, 89), Hrystyna Kulishko, Chloe Ashdown (Ellie Rivers, 64), Millie Main
Parkwood Rangers: Jemma Roodenburgh, Faye Tompsett, Patricia Kelly, Rhea Vale, Amy Brooks, Zoe Evans, Lily Clancy, Yasmin Bhatti, Alexandra Foulds, Lizzie Nugent, Shakira Day: Sub: Katie Byrnes
Referee: Alexis Stacchini
