watford women
Football

Match Preview: Portsmouth FC Women 2 – 0 Watford Women

Watford FC Women were defeated for the first time this season in the FA WNL Southern Premier Division, as early goals from Dani Lane and Nicole Barrett propelled Portsmouth to a merited 2-0 win at Westleigh Park.

Before the national anthem, like with other games around the country, a minute’s silence was observed to pay honour to Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II.

When play began on the South Coast, the Golden Girls found themselves on the back foot, with Lane meeting a cross from the left to nod home in the wake of a Pompey corner.

While the visitors looked for a way to respond after falling down, Portsmouth built on their good start by scoring a second goal in the 20th minute, with Barrett establishing her account for the club with a shot off the post.

watfordWatford steadily worked their way back into the game after failing to weather the early storm, and the first clear-cut chance came to Annie Rossiter, but her effort from the left flew over the bar.

Helen Ward then forced home goalkeeper Hannah Haughton into a superb save shortly before halftime, thwarting the Wales international one-on-one to keep her team’s two-goal lead intact.

Haughton continued where she left off in the second half, with Jade Bradley leading the Hornets’ assault, and replacement Flo Fyfe barely missing the goal with a beautiful lobbed half-volley.

Damon Lathrope used his bench options as his team looked for a way back into the game in the closing minutes, but despite continuous periods of pressure, Watford were unable to crack the stout home backline.

Following the game, the Head Coach stated that the 2-0 result was probably a fair portrayal of the game, while expressing his disappointment that his team’s undefeated streak had come to an end.

“I believe we got what we deserved,” he explained. “Fair credit to them – they had a game plan, and they made it really difficult for us. We lacked the talent to break them down, and we gave ourselves too much to do with a clumsy start. We know we weren’t at our best tonight, but we know we’ve got a lot more in us, and I think this outcome should serve as a wake-up call. Things have been going great, but every now and then you have to take a step back to remind yourself that you haven’t cracked anything yet.”

A home clash against Cheltenham Town on Sunday (September 18, 2pm KO) provides the Golden Girls with a quick opportunity to bounce back in the FA WNL South, and Lathrope is optimistic of a strong display and result back at Grosvenor Vale.

He also stated: “I think it’s good that we’ve got another game so soon. Two games in a week is obviously quite draining, but it’s the same for every team and Sunday’s match gives us a chance to make things right on the pitch. Cheltenham will provide another tough test – they’re a good side and they’ve shown that with some of the results they’ve had so far. But we’ll make sure we’re prepared, and we’ll look forward to getting back out there.”

Kajal S

Kajal S

kajal

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