Magpies record comfortable home win over Poole
Maidenhead United Women recorded a comfortable victory over Poole
Town in their first home game of the new FA Women’s National League season, giving new manager Ryan Taylor an almost perfect start.
Poole were swept aside at York Road on Sunday by a brace of goals in each half, and have started the season in fine form, taking seven points from their opening fixtures.
Their only defeat so far was the 1-0 defeat at leaders Chesham United in their last away game.
Nicole Barrett started the rout inside 10 minutes, heading into the bottom corner from Megan Halfacree’s cross. The busy Barrett then saw a shot come back off the crossbar
before she doubled the hosts’ lead just prior to the interval, scoring low into the bottom corner from Jade Chhokar’s pass.
Chhokar grabbed a goal for herself in the second period, reacting quickest to slam home a loose ball in the penalty area before Kirsty Matthews scored on her debut. The former Reading and Nottingham Forest winger capped her first appearance in a Maidenhead shirt when she crashed home a fine effort from Barrett’s cross.
United teenage goalkeeper Gemma Harvey also kept a clean sheet on her debut in what was a very satisfying afternoon for new manager Taylor.
He succeeds Nevin Saroya who has moved on to take a job with the PFA.
Taylor, 37, has coached in Welsh League football and in the United Arab Emirates, and was delighted with his new charges.
“I thought it was a solid team performance, and the result gets us back on track in terms of our league aspirations,” he said.
“I was particularly impressed with the nature of the build up playing leading to our goals, and having hit the cross bar on several occasions, the winning margin could have been much greater.
“We are now looking forward to our next opponents, which will be a tough game against an undefeated Bridgwater United in the National League Cup.”