Todd’s Ladies squad impress at Altrincham
ALTRINCHAM WOMEN . 1
RUNCORN LINNETS LADIES 3
IF Runcorn Linnets men’s first team coach Calum McIntyre had quite rightly applauded the heroic defensive display by his special group of players at Kidsgrove Athletic on Saturday, the Ladies team were the following day no less deserving of the praise from their boss Dave Todd. From front to back, Todd’s charges had been
just as resolute as their male counterparts. Makeshift `keeper Ellie Dyson thwarted everything that was thrown at her in a stunning display for the North West Regional Women’s League visitors. Runcorn hit the post from a corner in the first minute but otherwise, it was the home side that threatened more to score first in the early stages. Last-ditch tackles by Caitlin Gibbons and Gabby Evans and then the intervention of Runcorn’s woodwork were testament to that.
The Linnets struggled to get any fluency going on a very bumpy Manor Farm pitch. The same surface caused the home side problems too. An innocuous cross seemed to bobble past the entire home defence from right to left before it reached Lucy Wieland, whose shot curved and beat the `keeper at her right hand corner.
Altrincham pressed again to be rewarded with an on 37 minutes from a free kick. It was nothing more than they deserved.
Linnets manager Todd changed tactics at halftime, adopting a longer ball game to counteract the bobbly surface.
Almost immediately Runcorn came close to reaping dividends as the home `keeper made a mistake. Lile Ashley was prevented from scoring by a covering defender.
Runcorn brought on Marcia Jones-Sacharewicz and Molly Hewitt as they tried to tighten the noose around the Altrincham back four.
From a 61st-minute Ashley free kick, a static home defence allowed two Linnets players to ghost in at the far post and Becky Barker volleyed the ball over the line.
Two minutes later, Altrincham gave away a free kick just outside the box it had Ashley written all over it and she didn`t disappoint to double the Runcorn lead.
Molly Cawley left the field having started a game for the first time since her serious injury in May.
Erin Roberts, dubbed the “new mini Becky Barker”, seemed to relish the physicality of the game upon her introduction as Altrincham were always a danger on the counter attack.
The game ended with a serious injury to an Altrincham player and all at Runcorn Linnets Ladies send her their very best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Dave Todd was a happy man, and rightly so - his team gaining the result that their performance had merited. This hasn”t always been the case in previous games.
All 14 players put their bodies on the line and they can go away feeling immensely proud of the victory.
Linnets Ladies now lie seventh in Division One South with 15 points from as many games.