Loughborough Foxes secure narrow win over Cardiff
FA WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH LOUGHBOROUGH FOXES WOMEN 1 CARDIFF CITY LADIES 0 LOUGHBOROUGH Foxes Women extend their unbeaten run in the league to four with a 1-0 win over Cardiff City Ladies.
Foxes started the brighter of the two sides and could have taken the lead inside 10 minutes but Chloe Young’s effort from the edge of the box was excellently palmed away by Welsh international Laura O’Sullivan.
Foxes had their noses ahead three minutes later through Rebecca Knight. Good footwork down the left from Becky Matlock resulted in her cross to Rogers being relayed into the path of Knight who coolly slotted it beneath O’Sullivan.
McGrother and Rogers had efforts to make it two before the break but their attempts were straight into O’Sullivan’s arms.
Cardiff rarely threatened however the woodwork came to the Foxes aid. Hannah Miles curled an effort from the left hand side of the box, which clipped the top of the bar before the teams went in at the interval.
Cardiff came out of the blocks quickly in the second half and Kylie Nolan forced two superb, match winning stops from Amy Burle between the Foxes’ sticks.
The visitors had more possession than the first period, without really threatening the Foxes goal.
The game got a bit scrappy in the second period with four players finding their way into the referee’s book.
Cardiff’s best chance came from Ffion Morgan who rounded Burle but shot wide. McGrother could have extended Foxes’ lead on two occasions. One was an audacious attempt from 30 yards and the other a piece of individual brilliance that ended in her striking the foot of the post.
Cardiff ended the game with ten after Charlotte Broad was pulled back by Nadia Lawrence, but the hosts held out for the all important, crucial three points.
Foxes have now accumulated 19 points from 11 games and stay in fourth place and to Gillingham Ladies on Sunday.