Weekend Highlights: Norton Leapfrog, 4 Star Loughborough, Sports Secure Survival and Sudbury Party Crash

Photography by Steven J Taylor Photography

Division One North - York City Ladies 1 - 2 Norton and Stockton Ancients Ladies

In this tight meeting between 9th and 10th place in the Division One North, it was Norton and Stockton Ancients Ladies who claimed a narrow victory over York City Ladies to boost their survival hopes.

Coming into this match, Norton found themselves just 3 points above the drop in 10th position and knew that a lot was riding on this performance. With a strong breeze behind Norton, they began the game strongly with their prolific goal scorer Bianca Owens testing York’s keeper Becky Sidwell from the 4th minute. Owens continued to threaten in the 8th and 12th minute when she tried her luck from back to back free kicks, both her efforts sailed over Sidwell’s goal however.

This early pressure paid off for Norton and they broke the deadlock in the 14th minute when a period of chaos in the York box saw the ball fall to Louise Atkinson who calmly curled the ball home. The MinsterBelles could not have responded any better to falling behind, and just one minute later, they equalised the scores with Jess Holder firing the ball home after her first effort was well-blocked.

After the equaliser, it was Norton who again looked more dangerous and Louise Atkinson came close to claiming her second of the game when her effort forced Sidwell into another solid save. Norton did find their second in the 36th minute courtesy of some smart play from Owens who capitalized on some defensive confusion to fire the ball home. Then just two minutes later, the ball found its way into the York City net for the third time this afternoon. The goal was disallowed by the referee however who judged there to have been a push in the box.

With a lot riding on this second half, York City came out strongly with a point to prove. Milly Ash looked threatening from the off with several of her crosses causing problems for the Norton defence. The MinsterBelles continued to get forward and in the 67th minute, Karli Smith came close when she headed wide from a pinpoint Alex Gatt cross. Despite some excellent play from this York side who were dominating forward play in the second 45 minutes, Norton’s defence stood resolute and did well to deny the home side.

Jess Holder again came close to a brace in the final 10 minutes of the game but her attempt from the edge of the box flew over the bar. Just a few minutes later, she tried again but her effort went agonizingly wide of the post to deny the home side an equaliser. Despite York City’s best efforts in the second half, they could not quite find the back of the net thanks to some excellent defensive play from Norton.

With 2 games remaining in the Division One North, the fight for survival has heated up even more.

Division One Midlands - Leafield Athletic Ladies 3 - 4 Loughborough Lightning Women - 4 Star Loughborough

In this nail-biting 7 goal thriller in the Division One Midlands, it was ultimately the unbeaten league leaders Loughboorough Lightning Women who came from behind to triumph over 4th placed Leafield Athletic Ladies.

As both teams kicked off at Castle Vale, they both spent the early minutes trying to get a footing in the game. The action commenced early into the fixture however and in just the 6th minute of play, Leafield put themselves ahead after an excellent effort from Ella Bryan whose effort rebounded off the post and in. Lightning did not let this early lead discourage them however and in the 10th minute, Lauren Purchase levelled the scores with a well placed right footed effort.

Loughborough continued to push forward and Ella-Mai Coutts continued to cause a nuisance in the Leafield half. It was a Morgan Rogers piece of brilliance that gave Lightning the lead in the 14th minute following a stunning effort directly from a corner. Following a huge 3 goals in the opening 15 minutes, the game showed no signs of slowing down with Leafield’s Janelle Straker looking threatening from a free kick in the 22nd minute.

Both sides continued to look dangerous going forward and Loughborough’s forwards Purchase and Zynia Delglyn continued to threaten with some nice passages of play. They were rewarded with a third goal in the 44th minute when Purchase did well to find Coutts who skillfully maneuvered the ball past the keeper to slot home into an empty net.

With the score standing 3-1 to the league leaders at half time, it seemed like this could be an easy second half for Lightning. After the half however, Leafield came out with a renewed sense of purpose and midfielder Chloe Shirley showed some promising signs of attacking play. It was Loughborough however who scored next with Lauren Purchase’s excellent cross being turned into the home side's net by a Leafield player.

Leafield substitute Lucy Davies almost made an instant impact coming close from a corner but the ball could not quite be bundled over the line. Despite both sides having some attacking chances, there were not too many clear cut chances and it looked like the game could remain 4-1 until we moved in the 86th minute.

Abi Cowie stepped up to take a Leafield freekick from 30 yards out and her effort which smashed off the crossbar was judged to have bounced in by the linesman. With this goal giving hope to this hardworking Leafield side, they continued to push forward and were rewarded with a penalty in the 89th minute. This penalty was calmly dispatched by Janelle Straker to make the score 4-3 with 1 minute of normal time remaining. Despite there being 8 minutes of added time and Leafield throwing players forward, they just could not find that crucial 4th goal thanks to some resolute Loughborough defending.

This thrilling fixture therefore finished 4-3 to Lightning who will hope to continue their unbeaten league form as we move into the final 2 games of the FAWNL league campaign.

Division One South West - Bournemouth Sports 1 - 0 Maidenhead United: Sports secure survival

An 80th minute winner from Bournemouth Sport’s Hollie Shaw saw the home side leapfrog Abingdon United into 9th place continuing an excellent run of form for Sports that has dragged them clear of the relegation battle, winning three and drawing two of their past five league fixtures, completing an overall unbeaten March.

With the reverse fixture seeing Bournemouth narrowly lose to United 2-1 away from home, the stage was set for a tight affair as neither team looked to slip up and the opening 15 minutes was a clear example of this as both sides felt their way into the game.

It was Bournemouth who created the key chances however as Shaw vollied just wide on the 16th minute mark, whilst Katie Kingshott had two efforts that went close for the home side; one which was well watched by Maidenhead ‘keeper Kody Cornish whilst the second went narrowly wide of the top left corner.

Despite such overriding dominance, Maidenhead came closest in the 63rd minute with a free kick from Simone O'Brien that struck the crossbar. Almost igniting the home side back into life, a flurry of Bournemouth dominance followed and it was the classic combination of a Rosie Eden cutback to Shaw who buried the ball into United’s net after some wonderful buildup play from Jasmine Hughes and substitute Milla Lewis.

Maidenhead pushed for an equaliser, but Bournemouth stood firm to secure a crucial result, officially sealing their survival in the league and wrapping up a dramatic March campaign. The victory over their league competitors sees them join Maidenhead on 20 points, just trailing on goal difference. For Maidenhead, the defeat marks their second consecutive league loss, and they will be eager to bounce back as they prepare to face Keynsham Town and Worthing in the coming weeks.

Division One South East - AFC Sudbury 0 - 0 Real Bedford - Real Bedford Held to a Draw as AFC Sudbury delay title party

Fresh off their Bedfordshire County Cup triumph on March 20, Real Bedford set their sights on a second trophy, needing a victory over AFC Sudbury to clinch the league title. However, a resolute Sudbury side, sitting seventh in the table, stood firm and held the Division One South East leaders to a tense 0-0 stalemate. As a result, Real Bedford must wait until at least April 13 for another shot at securing the title.

At the heart of Sudbury’s resilient display was goalkeeper Nina Meollo, who produced a series of outstanding saves and was rightly awarded Player of the Match. She frustrated Charlie Bill’s side throughout, denying a host of chances, particularly in a dominant first half for Real Bedford. Abbie Bensted saw multiple efforts thwarted, while Layla O’Brien and Breon Grant could only direct their shots into Meollo’s grateful gloves. Even when Grant managed to beat the keeper, the woodwork came to Sudbury’s rescue in the dying moments of the first half.

Nevertheless, Sudbury themselves did also pose a threat to the away side and nearly stunned the league leaders in the 28th minute, forcing two goal-line clearances from a dangerous corner, an early warning that Real Bedford couldn’t afford to switch off.

As the second half unfolded, Grant and O’Brien continued to test Meollo, who remained a wall between the posts. The 55th minute saw O’Brien’s curling effort spectacularly tipped over the bar, and just two minutes later, Meollo pushed Jessica Evans’ header onto the woodwork, denying Bedford yet again.

The final stages were no less dramatic. Meollo tipped another O’Brien strike over, while Sofia Casaubon Stovol rattled the crossbar with a header, summing up Real Bedford’s night of frustration. So close, but the title wasn’t coming home just yet…

Speaking after the game, Real Bedford manager Charlie Bill praised Sudbury’s resilience, especially Meollo’s four or five unbelievable saves, and acknowledged his team’s effort and determination. He also emphasised that the extended break before their April 13 fixture would be crucial for recovery and preparation.

Despite the setback, Real Bedford remain in pole position. With fixtures against London Seaward and Dulwich Hamlet, both bottom-half teams, a league title still feels inevitable. However, Norwich City, sitting five points adrift, will be hoping for a late twist in the tale. Football has delivered plenty of surprises before, could we see one more before the season concludes?