A hugely entertaining game for the neutral saw Cobblers Ladies record their second win in successive games, however it took the ladies over half the game to put in a creditable performance, which again was a little disappointing.
Wimbledon's intent was clear from the kick-off as they constantly sprung the offside trap and but for some outstanding saves from keeper Serena Milekovic, they could easily have scored three early goals.
It was, however, the Cobblers who scored first and it was the same combination of Janine Holland and Steph Gale who, as they did last week, linked well to provide the opening goal. Wimbledon to their credit didn't let their heads drop and throughout the first half played their way into some strong positions and were rewarded with a well taken header from a pin-point cross.
From then on it's fair to say that both teams were evenly matched which led to a string of chances at either end and a very open game.
Cobblers defender Leanne Keen again showed her unique ability to play her way out of a tight situation with some composed play. Both Leanne and Natalie Smith have improved consistently this season and credit must go to Captain Lisa Porter, who has been more influential in recent games having switched from midfield to defence.
Lisa is a player who leads by example and her constant encouragement to the younger players around her is invaluable to the team. Her ability with free kicks is another plus for the team and she scored a peach of a goal in the second half, with Beckham-like accuracy.
The Cobblers second half performance was much improved and to be honest it needed to be. That improvement was enhanced with the welcome return to the team of the highly talented Elisbeth Wood who was introduced as a replacement for Carrie Gallagher, who had worked hard but had not had the service she might have expected in the first half, and made an immediate impact with her pace and skill.
Her link up play with Janine was instrumental in creating the third goal with a perfectly flighted cross which was expertly headed home by Steph.
Wimbledon continued to push for further goals but were unable to find the final touch when it mattered. Cobblers made two further substitutions seeing Sarah Bland and Hayley Gallachi enter the fray, both in somewhat unusual positions with Sarah taking her place in attack and 'H' playing wide on the right.
As the game progressed, Cobblers had the better possession and the fourth goal came via a stunning shot form 'H' which rebounded back off the bar and fell kindly for Steph to apply the easiest of touches to complete a well deserved hat-trick. The goal bonanza was finished off with arguably the goal of the game from Janine as she beat her defender and crashed a long range shot over the keeper to cap another strong individual performance.
To use the old football cliche, this was a game of two halves with a lacklustre stuttering opening half, followed by a pulsating entertaining second which needs to be maintained to continue the run of good results.
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