EAST MIDLANDS WOMEN’S REGIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
Sunday January 30th 2022, 2.00pm
Ashby Avenue
LINCOLN UNITED WOMEN 0
NORTHAMPTON TOWN WOMEN 1
Leah Cudone 36
Cobblers: Jo Daniel, Eden Brown, Sara Wait, Bianca Luttman, Abbie Brewin (sub Chloe Martin 50), Rachael Mumford, Fay Noble, Georgia Tear (sub Alex Bartlett 85), Zoe Boote, Leah Cudone, Charlie Cooper (sub Alex Dicks 77)
Subs not used: Abbie Reboul, Cesca Partridge
Northampton Town won 1-0 away to Lincoln United in a top-of-the-table East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Premier Division clash on Sunday.
Captain Leah Cudone scored the Cobblers’ goal, a stunning strike which was her sixth in four games.
Joint-managers Lou Barry and Josh Oldfield made two changes to the team that won away to Rotherham United last week. Georgia Tear and Charlie Cooper replaced Chloe Martin and Alex Dicks in the lineup.
It was an even start to the match with the Cobblers creating a couple of half-chances early on.
Cooper fired wide from Abbie Brewin’s through ball and Eden Brown’s header was easily collected by goalkeeper Amy Hood.
Both teams had spells of possession either side of the midway point of the first half, but neither were able to create any clear-cut opportunities.
The closest anyone came to opening the scoring in this period was when the hosts’ Lauren Churcher drove over from 20 yards.
The sides largely cancelled each other out in the opening 45 minutes, and it took a moment of individual brilliance to break the deadlock.
Cudone pounced on a loose ball and volleyed into the far corner from the edge of the box to put the Cobblers ahead going into the interval.
The second half took a while to get going, but Lincoln began to push forward in search of an equaliser in the last quarter-of-an-hour.
They missed a great chance with 10 minutes to go, Abbie Murrell heading onto the roof of the net from close range.
Despite substantial Lincoln pressure late on, the Cobblers held on to end their opponents’ five game winning run in the league. They remain three points clear in first place after Chesterfield’s victory against Mansfield Town.
Barry and Oldfield’s side host Nottingham Forest Development in the League Cup quarter final next week. Forest are battling for third place in the division below as it stands.
LINCOLN UNITED MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (2) 2
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (4) 8
CORNERS: (2) 9
FOULS: (7) 10
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 0
COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (3) 3
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 5
CORNERS: (3) 6
FOULS: (3) 5
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 1