The Northampton Town Women’s development team were narrowly defeated 2-1 in their league fixture against Deanshanger Athletic Ladies, on Sunday at Moulton College.
In a game where Northampton dominated most of the possession in the first half and scored a stunning free kick in the second half, they were unable to secure the win.
The Cobblers started the first half well and tested the keeper early, with Francesca Partridge making a nuisance of herself in the opposition’s penalty area. Alex Bartlett also came close with a header from a corner, but Northampton struggled to convert their chances. The Cobblers nearly made it 1-0 when Esther Evans, who had impressed throughout the first half, played a long ball up to Partridge who an effort just wide of the post. Megan Board also forced two good saves from the keeper just before the half time whistle as the two sides went in to the break at 0-0.
The second half started well with Northampton’s Mollie Marshall coming close, but two quick goals in 3 minutes for Deanshanger Athletic left Northampton on the backfoot. Emma Billenness gave Northampton hope, scoring a wonderful free-kick from 25 yards out but the Cobblers struggled to find another goal. Francesca Partridge continued to cause problems until the end, however the game finished 2-1 to Deanshanger Athletic Ladies.
Manager Frankie Smith said after the game, “We had a great first half, with pretty much 90% of the possession, we just didn’t take the chances. We dithered on the ball a bit around the box and should have put the chances away.
“(The) second half was a physical battle and it was a big learning curve for us.”
Next up for the Northampton Town development team is an away match against Moulton Ladies next Sunday.
OLIVER LLOYD – Northampton University Sport Journalism Student