WBA 0 Stoke City 4
— All Photos By Ian Stevens —-
The weather looked like we was in for a treat at Walsall Wood FC as the wind and rain was coming down with a vengeance. Suprised we had a game but they managed to get on the game between WBA Women and Stoke City. After WBA Women picked up a 0-2 win at Community Drive earlier in the season, Stoke City would be coming for revenge in the reverse fixture.
The game kicked off and Stoke City came out the blocks the fastest having most of the possession, WBA first chance of the game came 13 minutes in but after a foul was given the ball found the back of the net. This seemed to wake up Stoke City up as less than a minute later it was Stoke City with a 1-0 lead. A beautiful cross picked out Faye McCoy who headed the ball and it took an eternity to hit the back of the net. I was thinking she’d fluffed it but it dipped over the keeper giving Stoke City a 0-1 lead.
Stoke were pushing and battling with WBA on the ball and hoping the edge they had on the game would be extended and it wasn’t until 26th minute but it would soon become 0-2 to Stoke City. As Amy Hughes was slotted through and her pace and precision found the back of the net giving Stoke the cushion they deserved. Just over 5 minutes later on the 32nd minute it soon became 0-3 as Faye McCoy hit a beautiful effort from over 25 yards out as the WBA had left herself in no man’s land as she could only watch the ball hit the back of the net.
The first half was all Stoke City as they looked to increase the lead and it was nearly a first half hatrick for Faye McCoy as she saw her effort saved by Vanessa Kinnerely in the WBA goal but Stoke City went into the half time break with a 0-3 lead in the game and a real foot hold in the game.
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The second half started pretty much as the first half had gone with Stoke City nearly making it 0-4 as Abby Hunt nearly netted another goal for Stoke but it went just wide of the goal. Amy Hughes nearly put Faye McCoy hatrick on a plate as she split the defence, but Faye’s effort was saved by Vanessa Kinnerley again. Beth Jewitt was surprisingly, very surprising that she was replaced on the 58th minute with Nicole Nymoen coming off too. And was replaced by Tash Tegel and Shannon Stamps.
The referee had lost the game by the hour mark by letting some challenges go and few moment’s in the game went out of had as poor Ali Hall’s back showed after the game. Out of nowhere WBA saw their first real effort since the first half as they clattered the crossbar but Charlotte Clarke wasn’t going to let her clean sheet go away as she dealt with the effort easily in the Stoke City goal. On the 74th minute Tanisha Smith came back on the pitch as we all were so happy to see her back as she replaced Amy Hughes.
Abby Hunt was determined to get on the score line and as she broke through the WBA defence it was the WBA keeper once again that stopped the score from becoming 0-4 to Stoke City. Faye McCoy also had her free kick saved and as the ball fell to Tanisha Smith she tried to direct the ball over her head goal wards and it flashed just wide which would of been such an amazing way to make her return. Stoke were piling the pressure on looking for a fourth goal as Ella Pemberton was next to take her shot at the goal but just wide.
The 79th minute saw Ali Hall once again be given some rough stuff in the middle but it lead to Beth Roberts somehow being booked by the “referee” and thankfully Chloe Jones being the great manager she is brought Ali Hall out of the firing line up that seemed to be set up for her as she was replaced by Roisin Kivel. As the game was coming to a head Beth Roberts stopped everything and anything that tried to create for WBA. Kerri Brown also finally replaced Kelsey Richardson in the 86th minute. But Stoke wasn’t finished as Faye McCoy really wanted her hatrick and got a free kick late on. Faye won’t care but the free kick should of been saved as it crawled over the line but her celebration certainly didn’t crawl as she paced to the crowd and slide in front of them. For a second she didn’t move but then jumped up with a huge smile on her face as she took the matchball and a hatrick. The final whistle went with Stoke dominating the game and walking away with a 0-4 win.
Always such a pleasure to see Stoke City play and always made to feel so welcome and a part of it all by the Staff and Players.
Stoke City WOmen
