Loughborough Lightning 4-0 WCWFC
WCWFC Starting Line Up
Despite a better performance and some positive signs, this fixture saw City suffer a defeat at the hands of the unbeaten league leaders. As expected, Loughborough Lightning started the game strongly with several players pushing forward and swarming the City box. The City defence stood firm however and Stolt demonstrated quick reactions in the 5th minute to stop a Loughborough attempt with a diving save.
With Loughborough having the majority of possession and looking to put pressure on the City back line, much of City’s chances came on the break. One such chance came in the 8th minute when Mitcham’s header released Bellamy who then saw her effort well saved by the Loughborough number 1. As the half progressed Loughborough continued to pile on the pressure but Stolt remained solid and made some excellent double saves to deny a Loughborough goal. In the 26th minute, Loughborough made a breakthrough and their captain Hines put herself on the scoresheet with a long-range effort which bounced off the post and into the City net.
As we moved later into the first half, the game became increasingly scrappy with several free kicks being awarded to both sides. Even with increased attacking pressure, however, the City defence worked hard to deny the hosts with several players putting their bodies on the line to block Loughborough efforts. In the 44th minute, Bellamy made an excellent sliding block to prevent a promising Loughborough chance.
The halftime break saw City make their first change of the match as Robinson replaced Jones in defence. The second half started similar to the first with Loughborough putting consistent pressure on the city backline. City maintained a good shape however and were able to reduce many of Loughborough’s early efforts to speculative shots from distance. In the 56th minute, Highway won the ball excellently in City’s half before putting through Fassnidge whose dribble past the keeper was just thwarted by the last Loughborough defender.
After an impressive performance, Highway made way for Ballard in the 60th minute. Just minutes later, the league leaders doubled the scoreline as Powell clinically poked the ball home following another impressive Stolt save. City’s best chance doubtless came in the 65th minute after Crew’s tenacity to win the ball back saw her create a lovely opportunity for Bellamy whose header was well caught.
As we moved into the 79th minute, Loughborough’s continued pressure continued to take its toll and Delglyn capitalised on a loose ball to loop the ball into the net. Despite the scoreline, City continued to get forward however and Loughborough’s captain Hines was shown a yellow card in the 79th minute as she tugged down a surging Bellamy. City made three changes as we moved into the last 10 minutes with Dolloway, Crew and Mitcham coming off for Flitney, Rogers and Ritson.
Loughborough claimed their final goal from a penalty in the 93rd minute as Wright showed composure to slide the ball to the keeper’s right.
Despite the scoreline, City showed many encouraging signs today and will look to build on this performance ahead of our fixture against Notts County on Sunday and Sixways. Grab your tickets below, we hope to see you there.