Barker on target but Ladies held by Albion
WITTON ALBION LADIES ....................... 1 RUNCORN LINNETS LADIES.................. 1
RUNCORN Linnets Ladies came away on Sunday from a windswept Moss Farm with a useful point on their return to Cheshire Women’s League action after cup duties.
Manager John Pickering was pleased with aspects of his side’s display but could not hide his disappointment as they had done more than enough to have won the encounter.
The teams held a minute’s applause prior to kick-off in memory of former Linnets junior Luke Mackrell who had tragically passed away earlier in the week, after a short illness, aged 18.
Runcorn Linnets thank the management and players of Witton Albion for their co-operation and participation in the tribute.
Linnets, wearing black armbands, had the wind behind them in first period but the Northwich side were the first to threaten but a third-minute corner was comfortably dealt with.
Midfielder Mandy Kennedy then played a delicate through-ball to teammate Megan Pickering on eight minutes. But the Witton goalkeeper Tracey Bolton was quick to smother the ball before the striker had a chance to convert.
Runcorn took the lead on 12 minutes from a training-ground move, launched by Mary Rossiter-Gurrell with a quick throw-in to Pickering just inside the 18-yard box.
The forward laid the ball first time into the path of Rebecca Barker, whose instant effort went high over Bolton and into the Witton net for her fifth goal of the season.
Pickering then produced a beautiful piece of skill to fool the Albion defence but all that was missing was the finish as she put her shot wide.
The home side equalised 21 minutes when a ball over the top found Witton’s Hannah Hewitson, who appeared to be offside.
Linnets’ defence stopped, expecting a whistle, but the referee waved play on and Hewitson finished well into the cor- ● ner, giving goalkeeper Nat Pinnington no chance of saving.
This was the first of several contentious big decisions that seemed to go the way of the home side, incensing the Linnets’ contingent and drawing ironic applause from the home supporters.
Striker Frankie Valdez replaced Pickering on 33 minutes who had sustained a calf injury after a heavy challenge.
Three minutes from the break, Valdez nearly capitalised on an Albion error but screwed her shot wide when well placed.
There was still time left in the half for Valdez’s lofted free-kick to find Barker at the far post. But the midfielder could not get a clean connection and pulled her shot wide of the target.
Prior to half-time, Barker and a Witton player got into a war of words. The Witton player raised her hands and shoved Barker in the chest. The referee showed a yellow card when arguably there was a case for more significant action.
With the wind behind the hosts in the second half, Linnets boss Pickering expected the home side to pepper the Runcorn goal.
In truth, Witton hardly tested Pinnington although the rearguard of RossiterGurrell, Sadie Bond, Jo Finnegan and Ana Duran Anca had to defend admirably with Albion forcing five corners in the opening 15 minutes.
Controversy raised its head again on the hour-mark, when Kim Roberts was cynically tripped from behind as she tore down on the Albion goal with only the goalkeeper to beat.
The Witton player received just a yellow card for her misdemeanour.
On 64 minutes, Tempany Carlson replaced Lucy Wieland and forward Pickering returned for Kim Roberts as Linnets began to take a stranglehold on proceedings.
Pickering and Carlson linked well within minutes of coming on but, when breaking through on goal, Pickering appeared to be pulled back – by the same player who had earlier tripped Roberts – but no foul was awarded.
On 77 minutes, Lile Ashley and Beth Graham replaced Frankie Valdez and goalscorer Barker.
Ashley and Pickering in the same passage of play were denied by fantastic saves by Bolton.
It was all Linnets now – and they thought they had scored the winner nine minutes from the end.
Ashley latched onto a Beth Graham pass and broke free to find the Albion net. But, to everyone’s disbelief, the referee signalled an offside decision and ruled the effort out.
As time wound down, from a Carlson corner, Albion frantically cleared visiting player-of-the-match, Chelsea Gillies’s effort off the line, the ball ending in the arms of the grateful goalkeeper Bolton as the contest ended all-square.