Women’s football Tanya looking for Vixens to build on win over Everton
BRISTOL City Women’s coach Tanya Oxtoby knows her side can give their hopes of a top-five finish in the FA Women’s Super League a big boost if they can overcome Reading at the Stoke Gifford Stadium on Sunday (3pm).
The Vixens will be looking for revenge after suffering a 3-0 defeat to the Royals in November.
But since then the visitors have suffered a run of poor form, losing five and drawing one of their last six games to drop to seventh – seven points behind City but with three games in hand.
Oxtoby will be looking for her side to make it two wins on the bounce after last weekend’s 1-0 home win over Everton.
“It’s another good game for us – although it will be a tough one because Reading are a very wellorganised side but also a very physical one, so it will be a different sort of challenge for us,” she said.
“But the victory over Everton last weekend will have given us a lot of confidence and that will be a help this weekend.
“One of the most important things about last weekend’s result was the clean sheet. We might only create four or five chances in a game, but if we take one of them and keep a clean sheet at the other end then it means three points.”
The Vixens’ in-form keeper Sophie Baggaley has been named in a 20-strong England Under-21 squad which will compete in the La Manga Under-23 Tournament in Spain next month.
Keynsham Town took another step towards landing the FA National League South West Division title with a 14-0 trouncing of Poole Town.
Keynsham were missing leading scorer Kerry Bartlett, but that failed to prevent them running riot with hat-tricks for Kelly Aldridge and Laura Williams, while Ellison Rob
erts also bagged a second-half treble after coming off the bench.
Justine Lorton, Liberty Sims, Corinne Yorston and Ellie Curson also found the net.
To boost the Somerset side further, second placed Southampton suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Cheltenham Town, which means the Hampshire club are now six points adrift having played a game more.
Neighbours Brislington went down 4-2 at Southampton Saints and were 2-0 down early on before Paige Sawyer pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.
Although goalkeeper Vicky Powell had made three excellent saves to keep the visitors in the game, Saints added two more before Chelsea Heal bundled home Brislington’s second after the ball came back off the crossbar.
The Ironmould Lane club will be looking to bounce back with home games against Larkhall Athletic tonight and Poole on Sunday.
Keynsham Town Development remained top of the SW Women’s League Premier Division after a 3-1 win over Bishops Lydeard, with goals from Rhianna Ben-Carew, Emily Plummer and Keka Vega.
Second-placed Exeter City remain only a point adrift with two games in hand after a 6-1 win at Portishead. Taylor Gainey scored for the home side. Portishead’s cause was not helped by goalkeeper Chloe Anderson suffering a foot injury.
In the Eastern Division, Frampton Rangers won 6-0 at FC Chippenham. Saffron Degg scored a hat-trick, Maddy Brown bagged a brace and Abi Todd was also on the scoresheet. They remain five points adrift of leaders Wootton Bassett.
Oldland Abbotonians beat Trowbridge Town 4-2 with Anneka Hawkins-Hoare (2), Emma RaikesMay and Beth Dale scoring for the home side on a difficult surface.
In the Western Division, Ellie Oritt (2), Natasha Crew, Lucy Dinham and Emily Harrington got the Bristol Ladies Union are the new Gloucestershire County Women’s League Division One champions - back row, from left, Ellie Haines, Olivia Stone, Melody Lewis, Symira Lowe, Emily Baker, Madison Price, Anna Frazer. Front row, from left, Laura Holden, Aoife Condron, Lilly Farr, Chloe Howourth, Hannah Price, Sophie Price
goals that saw Weston Mendip round off their league campaign with a 5-2 victory over Bideford.
Bristol Ladies Union were confirmed as Division One champions in the Gloucestershire County Women’s League without kicking a ball as rivals Chipping Sodbury Town slipped to a 5-0 defeat at Longwell Green, who leapfrogged them to move into second spot.
Jade Rimell and Alana Willson both scored twice for Green, with Amy Sillitoe also on target.
Delighted BLU coach Steve Price said: “It has been a great season considering we have a very young side – all around 18 – and have been playing against some really strong sides.
“We have had to manage every game with only 13 players each week, but we are the division’s top scorers and have the joint best defensive record.
“The girls have created history for our club, becoming the first senior side to win a league title and hopefully there is more to follow.
“We just need to win our last game at home to Forest of Dean in style on April 7 and then face Chipping Sodbury in the Gordon Perrett League Cup final on April 28.”
In Division Two, Downend Flyers Reserves gained their third win of the season as they beat Bradley Stoke Development 6-2. Mollie Davies scored both goals for the visitors.
Burnham United went out of the Somerset County Women’s League Dawn Prior Memorial Trophy at the quarter-final stage as they went down 7-2 at Ash Rangers. Mollie Harvey and Lucie Stacey scored for the visitors.
In Division One, Eleanor Purle and Victoria Wright were on target for Portishead Reserves in their 2-1 victory at Pen Mill Reserves.
RESULTS
FA Women’s Super League: Bristol C 1 Everton 0, Liverpool 1 Arsenal 5.
FA Women’s National League SW Div: Larkhall Ath 2 Buckland Ath 1, Poole Tn 0 Keynsham Tn 14, Southampton Saints 4 Brislington 2, Southampton 0 Cheltenham Tn 1, Swindon Tn 2 Maidenhead Utd 1.
SW Women’s League Premier Div: Forest Green Rov 2 Marine Academy Plymouth 2, Ilminster Tn 3 Middlezoy 0, Keynsham Tn Dev 1 Bishops Lydeard 1, Portishead Tn 1 Exeter C 6.
Eastern Div: Almondsbury 1 Swindon Spitfires 2, FC Chippenham 0 Frampton Rngrs 6, Oldland Abbotonians 4 Trowbridge Tn 2, Wootton Bassett Tn 10 Laverstock & Ford 1.
Western Div: Exeter & Tedburn v Alphington pp, Feniton 1 Pen Mill 6, St Agnes 2 Plymouth Argyle Res 2, Weston Mendip 5 Bideford 2.
Gloucestershire County Women’s League Div I: Bristol & West home walkover v Forest of Dean, Longwell Green 5 Chipping Sodbury Tn 0.
Div II: Bristol Ladies Union Dev home walkover v Cribbs, Cirencester Tn 6 Gloucester C 2, Downend Flyers Res 6 Bradley Stoke Dev 2, Mitcheldean 0 Cheltenham Tn Yth 6.
Somerset County Women’s League Dawn Prior Memorial Trophy quarter-final: Ash Rngrs 7 Burnham Utd 2.
Div I: Combe 1 Ilminster Tn Res 6, Pen Mill Res 1 Portishead Res 2.
Div II: Purnell Res 6 Isle of Wedmore 3.
FIXTURES - TONIGHT FA Women’s National League SW Div: Brislington v Larkhall Ath.
SUNDAY
FA Women’s Super League: Birmingham C v Arsenal, Bristol C v Reading (3pm), Chelsea v West Ham, Everton v Yeovil Tn, Manchester C v Liverpool.
FA Women’s National League SW Div: Brislington v Poole Tn, Buckland Ath v Swindon Tn, Keynsham Tn v Maidenhead Utd, Southampton Saints v Cheltenham Tn. SW Women’s League Premier Div: Exeter C v Forest Green Rov, Ilminster Tn v Callington Tn, Portishead v Marine Academy Plymouth, Torquay Utd v Middlezoy. Eastern Div: Frampton Rngrs v Swindon Tn Dev, Swindon Spitfires v FC Chippenham, Trowbridge Tn v Cheltenham Tn Dev. Gloucestershire County Women’s League Div II: Bradley Stoke Firsts v Cheltenham Tn Youth, Downend Flyers Res v Bristol Ladies Union Dev.