It was back to winning ways for the Cobblers Ladies with a relatively comfortable win over City, to complete a league double over the visitors.
With the kick-off delayed to accommodate the late arrival of the visitors, the Cobblers preparations were thorough and it showed as they started well and could have taken an early lead as Lisa Porter came close to scoring within the first few minutes, as she resumed her striking partnership with Steph Gale.
On a heavy pitch, free flowing football was never going to be at a premium but both teams did try and put passes together and the Cobblers utilised the width and pace of Laura Sutherland and Sam Christie to penetrate the flanks.
One such attack led to the first goal as Christie found space on the left wing to fire her cross to the far post where Porter was lurking to smash the ball home from close range.
Cambridge rallied after the setback of conceding and produced a spell of football which had the Cobblers on the back foot and should have resulted in some reward but they were unable to put the finishing touch to some good passing moves. Cobblers struggled for a while as they were outplayed in midfield which led to a constant assault from City but the home defence acquitted themselves well.
At times it wasn't pretty to watch but it was effective as City couldn't find a way through and their lack of firepower proved crucial over the course of the game.
The Cobblers weathered the storm and grabbed a second goal before half time and it was Lisa Porter who delivered for her team yet again, with a brilliant free-kick from an acute angle which hit the inside of the far-post, having cleared the City keeper. Porter could have completed a first half hat-trick but for a superb point blank save from the City keeper as she advanced off her line and closed the shot down on the edge of her penalty box.
The second half saw the Cobblers totally dominant, with the midfield much more disciplined in holding their shape which led to a string of chances which could and should have made the score line more emphatic.
Nicki Robson and Lucy Bateman were much more effective at the heart of the midfield, with competitive tackling and intelligent football which proved more effective in canceling out the visitors attacks before they developed, which in turn eased the pressure on the back four.
The Cobblers made a second half change seeing Lizzie Clarke replace Leanne Keen, who was hit full force in the face with the ball towards the end of the first half but bravely carried on despite a bad nose bleed and some cosmetic injuries to her bottom lip!!! Lizzie is another of the younger players who have impressed in the reserves and showed she has the capabilities to cope with the physical demands of first team football with an accomplished debut. This change resulted in a re-shuffle of the pack as Lisa Porter resumed her not unfamiliar role alongside Hannah Cave in defence and between them and with the ever reliable Natalie Smith and Hayley Gallachi, they formed a solid line which City just couldn't breach, which also led to a relatively quiet game for keeper Serena Milenkovic.
Despite their lack of clear cut opportunities, City never gave up and continued to throw players forward which led to an open entertaining half, as gaps began to appear and the pitch started to take its toll on a few legs. One player who took full advantage was Sam Christie who held her wide position well and found herself with space to run into which she did to great effect. The effort and work rate of the whole team in the second half was their in abundance and the only disappointment was that more goals weren't added but on the whole the team deserved the points.
The Cobblers will be hoping to collect another win next week as they travel away to meet Wimbledon.
