POSTED: March 11 2023 16:45:46 By Keith Long
- 2-0 Defeat For Beechy Ladies Team
After two weeks without a game Beechfield United Ladies were back in action on Sunday 5th March 2023 but following their away game at Boltonians Ladies they suffered a 2-0 defeat.
*In this Division 1 fixture Beechy played throughout with just eleven players and team coach Stacy Partridge took on the role of goalkeeper. On an uneven grass pitch Boltonians attacked straight from the kick-off and Beechy's back four Kirsten Elrick, Shauna Smith, Megan Mirfield and Julie Ward confidently dealt with the early pressure. Becky Gregory was a key figure in a congested midfield and Beechy's first chance to open the scoring came when Jess Lawson fired the ball wide after an pinpoint pass from Aimee Armsden. The hosts focused a few forward moves down the left wing and Shauna Smith produced a powerful headed clearance after Boltonians forced their first corner in the 7th minute.
Both teams wasted possession on several occasions but Beechy had another opportunity to get the first goal when an angled pass by Becky Gregory was controlled by Amie Barrett who's effort was just off target. A couple of minutes later Beechy went 1-0 down when the hosts moved the ball quickly through the midfield and Boltonians No7 lobbed it into the net. As the action moved swiftly from end to end Beechy worked hard in all areas and great defending from Megan Mifield and Julie Ward foiled attempts by the hosts to take a quick two goal lead. A decent attempt by Becky Topping saw the ball drop over the crossbar then Aimee Armsden suffered the same fate from a similar distance after an excellent pass from Aimee Greenwood.
Boltonians had a couple of half chances forcing Stacy Partridge to display her goalkeeping skills and just before the referee blew for half time Aimee Armsden blasted the ball wide after a move between Amie Barrett and Becky Gregory. Straight from the restart Boltonians put pressure on Beechy's back four and Megan Mirfield had to concede a corner then Shauna Smith, Kirsten Elrick and Julie Ward made vital ball winning tackles. A quick counter-attack involving Becky Gregory, Becky Topping and Aimee Greenwood created a chance for Jess Lawson who's effort flew the wrong side of the post. Beechy produced a much better performance in the second half but they continually found a well organised Boltonians defence difficult to breakdown.
Sometimes the final pass failed to find the intended target and when Beechy found themselves having to do more defending once again Player of the Match Julie Ward was a key figure in the back four. Beechy had a valid appeal for a penalty waved away before forcing a couple of saves from the hosts energetic keeper. Boltonians No7 took full advantage of slack Beechy defending when she curled the ball home from inside the area for the hosts second goal. Both Jess Lawson and Becky Gregory saw efforts just miss the target and more solid Boltonians defending denied Beechy a consolation goal during a late attacking surge.