One defensive slip costs City on final day of tough season
ANOTHER LOSS, BUT TEAM CAN REGROUP FOR ANOTHER WSL TILT
LEICESTER CITY suffered a 17th defeat in 22 games as a difficult inaugural season in the Women’s Super League ended yesterday, writes Samuel Draper of Sportsbeat.
Ash Neville’s second-half header gave Spurs a 1-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving City just two points clear of relegation after alreadydoomed Birmingham signed off with a local derby win against Aston Villa.
The Foxes had their WSL place for next season confirmed in midweek, when Birmingham lost 6-0 at Manchester City.
Yesterday’s defeat ended a troubled campaign in which Leicester survived despite having been winless in the league since February. Their hosts yesterday were on a similarly poor run, also being winless for three months.
Rehanne Skinner, an ex-Leicester player and manager, led Spurs to victory to secure fifth place in the league, their highest top-flight finish.
It took 10 minutes for the first chance. Neville was played through, but her shot was well parried by Demi Lambourne.
Five minutes later, Foxes forward Missy Goodwin volleyed over from close range.
The referee waved away two Spurs claims in five minutes, first when Lambourne looked to have handled outside the area, and then when Rosella Ayane appeared to be brought down in the 37th minute.
The home side’s Kerys Harrop clipped the outside of the post with an audacious shot from range three minutes before half-time, but the breakthrough came in the 49th minute, Neville rising highest at the back post to head Jess Naz’s cross down so it bounced past Lambourne.
Spurs should have doubled their advantage in the 66th minute, but Molly Bartrip’s fizzling shot flew just over the crossbar, as the defender finished off a season playing every minute of WSL matches.
Foxes sub Ava Baker found acres of room in the box 15 minutes from time, but was only able to drag her shot wide when oneon-one with Becky Spencer.
The hosts had another penalty shout waved away in the 84th minute when Angela Addison went down in the box.
Lydia Bedford, Leicester manager: “I thought it was an exciting 90 minutes. The first half was really competitive from both teams, trying to work out how each other were playing and how everyone was set up.
“I think we defended resiliently in that first half. We were disappointed to come out and concede second phase of a corner early on in second half.
“The girls pushed to get back in the game, and we created good opportunities in the final 15 minutes, but we just didn’t capitalise.”
On her use of substitutes, she said: “We knew Spurs played four games in two weeks. We had a level of freshness that was different to them.
“We had forwards on the bench to come on and influence the game, so we gave them a chance to do that.
“We timed that quite well today, and I think it made an impact.
“We were really pleased with Ava (Baker). She doesn’t spend a lot of time with us in the first team because of her age, she’s still at school.
“We used her in the FA Cup against Spurs earlier in the year, and again last weekend.
“She’s got a bright future and hopefully it’s a talent we can really develop at Leicester.”
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