MK Dons Ladies – Page 2 – The View From The Shed

2015/16 MK Dons Ladies 2-1 Cambridge United Ladies

MK Dons Ladies 2-1 Cambridge United Ladies
FA Women’s Premier League South East Division 1
Wednesday 23rd September 2015
Willen Road, Newport Pagnell
Attendance: 50

3. MK – GOAL 1-0. The Dons take an early lead as a Annie Dickens turns the ball into the own net.

6. CU – Becky Taylor shoots straight into the arms of Caroline Collie.

15. MK – Leah Cudone passes to Vicky Holland who shoots, Verity Crook saves.

17. MK – Cudone strikes a half volley on the turn, Crook saves.

22. CU – A long range shot from Faith Hewitt flies wide.

22. MK – Cudone intercepts a short back pass from Lucy Du Plooy but sees her shot drift past the post.

24. CU – Striker, Becky Taylor chases a through ball but is beaten to the pass by Caroline Collie.

26. CU – Emma Jenkins let’s fly from 40 yards but her shot clears the bar.

30. MK – Heather McDonnell’s lob from the edge of the area is only just over.

33. MK – Excellent work by Sophie Watson, twisting and turning to beat the defender before releasing McDonnell who shoots wide.

36. CU – Jenkins has a good run with the ball before shooting wide from distance.

38. MK – McDonnell hits the crossbar with Cudone following up to force a great save from Crook. From the resultant corner Charly Wright finds Cudone who volleys goal bound, Crook with another fine save.

39. MK – Crook sees more action as she saves from Sophie Watson’s 40 yard effort.

42. MK – GOAL 2-0. The Dons pressure finally tells as Wright scores with a brilliant strike from the edge of the area.

45. MK – Crook managed to hold Cudone’s low, vicious shot.

Half Time: 2-0

48. MK – MK start the second half in the same style that they finished the first, Wright shooting over from a tight angle.

49. MK – Lauren Goodier pounces as Becca Fay slips, driving a hard shot that is collected by Crook.

51. MK – Wright has a good effort saved from 35 yards.

64. MK – With the Cambridge defenders struggling to clear the ball Cudone lashes the ball over.

68. CU – GOAL 2-1. Against the run of play Laura Bright is first to the ball to head home following a free kick from the left to pull a goal back for the U’s.

69. CU – Cambridge win the ball following the restart but Laura Mill’s curling shot is saved by Collie.

70. MK – Vicky Holland shoots wide from distance.

74. MK – McDonnell’s 25 yard strike his the underside of the crossbar before hitting the back of the keeper who manages to fall on the ball to save, the assistant referee judging that the ball had not crossed the line.

75. MK – Cudone gets away from her marker only to shoot wide.

77. MK – Sam Gillings heads wide from a corner.

81. CU – Jenkins had a good run down the right flank before Hannah Barrett blocks her shot for a corner.

84. CU – Laura Baker shoots high and wide.

87. MK – Cudone beats the defender on the edge of the area, her shot is saved by Crook.

89. MK – Andie Dickens side foots the ball past the post following a well placed Barrett free kick.

90+4. MK – Dickens tests Crook with a half volley from the edge of the area.

90+5. CU – Cambridge have a chance to salvage a draw but waste the opportunity with a poor free kick.

90+6. MK – Dickens slots the ball through to Cudone who’s shot is saved.

Full Time: 2-1

The match at the Unwin Sports Ground in Ely earlier in the month had been a closer encounter but tonight’s game was dominated by MK Dons who really should have gone on to win by a bigger margin. Both sides played a big part in what was a thoroughly entertaining game.

Goals:
1-0 Andie Dickens, 3 mins
2-0 Charly Wright, 42 mins
Half Time: 2-0
2-1 Laura Bright, 68 mins
Full Time: 2-1

Yellow Cards:
MK Dons Ladies:
Charly Wright, 90+2 mins

MK Dons Ladies:
1.Caroline Collie
2.Louise Naylor
3.Sam Gillings
4.Sophie Watson
5.Vicky Holland
6.Leanne Doyle
7.Lauren Goodier (14.Andie Dickens, 79 mins)
8.Charly Wright
9.Hannah Barrett (c)
10.Leah Cudone
11.Heather McDonnell
Unused Subs:
12.Zoe Lander
13.Charlotte Murphy
17.Rosie Anderson
22.Charley Clarke

Cambridge United Ladies:
1.Verity Crook
2.Lucy DuPlooy
3.Becca Fay (15.Hayley Turner, 83 mins)
4.Laura Baker
5.Robyn Phillips
6.Emily Reed (14.Tahnee Perfect, 68 mins)
7.Emma Jenkins
8.Laura Bright (c)
9.Becky Taylor
10.Laura Mills
11.Faith Hewitt
Unused subs:
13.Liz Pamplin

Officials:
Referee – Time Danellan
Assistants – Russell Shackcock, Gavin Smith

2015/16 MK Dons Ladies 1-1 Luton Town Ladies

MK Dons Ladies 1-1 Luton Town Ladies
FA Women’s Premier League South East Division 1
Sunday 20th September 2015
Willen Road, Newport Pagnell
Attendance: Est.80

10. MK – Hannah Barrett’s header was cleared off the line by a Hatter’s defender.

13. MK – Heather McDonnell crossed from the left to Leah Cudone who ran on with the ball before chipping it onto the underside of the crossbar only to see the ball bounce away to safety.

17. MK – Leah Cudone’s curling effort skimmed the base of the post.

19. MK – Heather McDonnell almost tested the keeper from twenty five yards when her shot only just cleared the crossbar.

20. MK – GOAL. Sophie Watson finally managed to get the goal that the Dons had been threatening when her side footed shot struck the post before crossing the line to give MK the lead.

25. LT – Tash Fensome ran on to a through ball, cut across the area before shooting wide.

28. MK – Leah Cudone chased a long ball only to see her goal bound strike blocked by the on rushing Hatter’s keeper.

34. LT – Tash Fensome almost latched onto a back pass but Emma Kirby was first to the ball to deny the striker.

40. MK – With the keeper stranded, Hannah Barrett had her long range effort headed off the line by defender LT5.

43. LT – Suspicion of handball by a prostrate Dons defender lead to calls for a penalty by the Hatters but their protestations were waved away by the referee.

Half Time: 1-0

48. LT – Tash Fensome had her speculative shot easily saved by Emma Kirby.

61. LT – LT11’s weak shot saved by Emma Kirby.

61. MK – A lovely one-two between Heather McDonnell and Leah Cudone ended with McDonnell shooting high over the bar.

68. MK – Leah Cudone’s header crashes against the post with the keeper beaten.

69. LT – GOAL. Tash Fensome finds the target from twelve yards beating the unsighted Emma Kirby.

75. LT – LT11 ran on to a long pass only to shoot wide.

87. MK – Heather McDonnell’s shot from the edge of the area lacked the power to beat the keeper.

88. MK – Leah Cudone poked the ball just over the crossbar.

89. LT – Once again LT11 ran on to a long pass to shoot wide.

90+3 MK – A lovely pass from Charley Wright gave Charlotte Murphy a good sight of goal but her shot was wide of the mark.

Full Time: 1-1

MK Dons dominated the first half and will have rued their inability to kill the game off after the woodwork and goal line clearances came to the rescue of the Hatters.

After a poor first half display the Hatters came back to rescue a point and continue their unbeaten start to the season.

Goals:
1-0 Sophie Watson, 20 mins
Half Time: 1-0
1-2 Tash Fensome, 69 mins
Full Time: 1-1

MK Dons Ladies:
1.Emma Kirby
2.Sam Gillings
3.Claire Hollingsworth
4.Louise Naylor
5.Leanna Doyle
6.Heather McDonnell
8.Charley Wright
9.Hannah Barrett (c) (16.Zoe Lander, 85 mins)
10.Lauren Goodier (19.Charlotte Murphy, 78 mins)
11.Sophie Watson (15.Andie Dickens, 58 mins)
14.Leah Cudone
Unused Subs:
12.Rosie Anderson
17.Chelsea Coles

Luton Town Ladies:
Michelle Byrne
Erica Byron
Shannon Carroll
Zara Carroll
Rachel Carter
10.Tash Fensmore
Kezia Hassell
Rachel Kosky
Abbie Luby
Shannon Pratt
Hollie Staples
Subs:
Rebecca Kane
Jael Muzzi
Victoria Rutherford
L4 off L11 on, 46 mins
L17 off L15 on, 83 mins
L11 off L12 on, 90 mins
Unused Sub:
Tamara Bayne
L5 (c)

Officials:
Referee – Carlton Henry
Assistants – Graham Fuller, Gavin Smith

2015/16 Cambridge Utd Women 1-1 MK Dons Ladies

Cambridge United Women 1-1 MK Dons Ladies
FA Women’s Premier League South East Division 1
Wednesday 2nd September 2015
Unwin Sports Ground, Ely
Attendance: 68

Yet again the Dons started a game in wet conditions and the extremely heavy rain prior to kick off lead to a greasy surface which meant controlling the ball proved to be difficult throughout the game for both sides.

It was Cambridge who started best with probing wing play from Nuala Wayne testing the Dons defence to the limit. The pressure finally told after eleven minutes when Wayne found Hannah Goodchild who’s superb pass released Emma Jenkins who coolly slotted home to open the scoring.

MK responded well and enjoyed periods of possession as both teams battled against the conditions to make it an entertaining encounter for fans. Laura Baker was exceptional as the United back four managed to restrict the visitors to long range shots, however, the Dons would have felt unlucky not to have levelled after Charley Wright, Vicky Holland, Andie Dickens and Hannah Barrett all saw chances go agonisingly the wrong side of the woodwork. On thirty three minutes a delicious free kick from the ever impressive Barrett curled straight into the back of the net to level affairs.

The U’s had one more gilt edged chance to retake the lead before the break when Claire Hollingsworth’s back pass held up on the pitch allowing Becky Taylor to round keeper Caroline Collie. Taylor drove the ball towards the open net only to see a miraculous recovery from Hollingsworth who managed to intercept the goal bound ball to clear and maintain order.

Dons started the second half without the influential Barrett, however, they began to control the midfield and as the half wore on Cambridge resorted to long through balls trying to release their speedy forwards but the Dons defenders were marshalled flawlessly by keeper Collie who was always in control.

Both sides worked hard to find a winner but clear cut opportunities were limited, until a free kick from Lucy Du Plooy found Sophie Thompson, her first shot was blocked, Thompson was first to the rebound but her second attempt cleared the crossbar.

MK almost won the match with five minutes remaining when, Lil Stanton’s thirty five yard chip was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by the back peddling Liz Pamplin. The resultant corner lead to a clumsy clearance that fell to Leah Cudone, her rasping thirty yard shot was only a few inches over.

In summary this was a hard fought, close encounter that could easily have gone either way. The fact that this was a thoroughly entertaining match in difficult conditions is testament to the quality of all the players on show.

Goals:
1-0 Emma Jenkins, 11 mins
1-1 Hannah Barrett, 33 mins
HT 1-1
FT 1-1

Yellow Cards:
MK: Doyle

Cambridge United Women:
1.Liz Pamplin 2.Hannah Goodchild 3.Lucy DuPlooy 4.Laura Baker 5.Nicola Geoghan 6.Kayleigh-Anne Burt 7.Emma Jenkins (16.Faith Hewitt, 57 mins) 8.Laura Bright 9.Becky Taylor (15.Sophie Thompson, 69 mins) 10.Laura Mills 11.Nuala Wayne (12.Rebecca Fay, 79 mins)
Unused subs: 14.Robyn Philips, 17.Emily Reed

MK Dons Ladies:
1.Caroline Collie 2.Louise Naylor 3.Sam Gillings 4.Vicky Holland (18.Lil Stanton, 61 mins) 5.Claire Hollingsworth 6.Leanna Doyle 7.Andie Dickens 8.Charley Wright 9.Hannah Barrett (c) (14.Laura Goodier, 46 mins) 10.Leah Cudone 11.Heather McDonnell
Unused Subs: 12.Rosie Anderson 16.Zoe Lander –.Chelsea Coles

Officials:
Referee – Richard Clark
Assistants – Anthony Ashman, Frank Gunsalves

2015/16 MK Dons Ladies 3-4 QPR Ladies

MK Dons Ladies 3-4 QPR Ladies
FA Women’s Premier League Cup, Determining Round
Sunday 30th August 2015
Willen Road, Newport Pagnell
Attendance: 70

The match was always going to be a stiff test for the MK Dons Ladies, taking on opposition from a higher league. With both the Dons and QPR missing large numbers of their respective squads the scene was set for a thrilling seven goal cup encounter in the relentless rain at Newport Pagnell.

The pre-match drizzle gave way to ever increasing rain as Leah Cudone opened the scoring after just 8 minutes with a shot from the edge of area.

The next chance fell to Rangers when a neat passing move between Layton and Nicholson was thwarted by a brilliant covering tackle from Charley Wright.

Twenty minutes in and a good run by Cherrelle Albert forced a save from Emma Kirby but a poor clearance gave the ball straight back to Albert who rounded the keeper to make the scores level with a clean finish into an empty net on her debut. A couple of minutes later Albert should have doubled her tally but only managed to put the ball wide.

Hannah Barrett produced a great free kick for the Dons that somehow managed to evade everyone in the box only to sail harmlessly over.

Jo Wilson thought she had scored to put QPR into the lead but her effort was ruled offside. Only two minutes later she was celebrating following a good run down the right flank before cutting inside to put the ball into the back of the net on 31 minutes.

With the rain becoming increasingly heavy the pace of the game began to slow due to the difficult conditions. In the 41st minute Albert scored her second and QPR’s third with a shot into the top corner from twenty yards.

As the referee was about to blow for half time a speculative shot from Cudone narrowly missed the target at the far post.

Albert and Wilson combined well for Rangers shortly after the break only to see Wilson fire wide. MK just would not lie down and seven minutes into the second period Cudone pounced on a mistake in the QPR defence to pull a goal back for the Dons with a cool finish.

It wasn’t long before Albert tried her luck again with a long range shot that was saved. Immediately Wilson drove forward picking the ball up from another poor clearance before being brought down by the the Dons keeper inside the box. Substitute Zemeka Clarke slotted home the spot kick to give the R’s a 4-2 lead with 58 minutes on the clock.

With half an hour left MK started to show what they are made of and almost pulled to within one goal after a scramble in Ranger’s penalty area nearly resulted in an own goal. On 64 minutes Cudone did reduce the arrears with an inch perfect lob from eighteen yards to complete her hatrick.

With the Dons becoming stronger the game looked in the balance but they struggled to find an equaliser, the closest they came to drawing level was when Barrett fired just over from thirty yards.

As the players from both sides tired in the energy sapping conditions the final chances of the action packed game fell to Rangers, Albert had a thirty yard effort tipped over the bar by the Don’s keeper. Then six minutes into added time Jo Wilson’s shot was deflected wide shortly before the final whistle.

Don’s manager Tony O’Neill was full of praise for his team and was “delighted with the team spirit and determination” that his young side showed. Comments from QPR manager, Tony Smith, backed up O’Neill’s view when he said, “at times it felt like we were playing against twelve players”, he also applauded his team for managing to “grind out the result”.

From a spectator’s point of view I can only admire the ladies from both sides who managed to play attractive football in terrible conditions. If only all football was as good as this.

Goals:
1-0 Leah Cudone, 8 mins
1-1 Cherrelle Albert, 20 mins
1-2 Jo Wilson, 31 mins
1-3 Cherrelle Albert, 41 mins
HT 1-3
2-3 Leah Cudone, 52 mins
2-4 Zemeka Clarke (penalty), 58 mins
3-4 Leah Cudone, 64 mins
FT 3-4

Yellow Cards:
MK: Barrett

MK Dons Ladies:
1.Emma Kirby, 2.Rosie Anderson, 3.Sam Gillings, 6.Claire Hollingsworth, 15.Zoe Lander, 4.Molly Corbett, 9.Hannah Barrett (c), 20.Vicky Holland, 8.Charley Wright, 10.Leah Cudone, 11.Sophie Watson Sub: 12.Andi Dickens

QPR Ladies:
1.Joanne Ayre, 2.Natalie Skiverton (6.Jean Sseninde 90+4mins), 3.Micaela Lopes, 4.Vanessa Nicholson, 5.Louise Hayes, 16.Laura Cooper, 7.Jo Wilson, 8.Carrie-Anne Layton (15.Zemeka Clarke 56mins), 9.Cherrelle Albert, 10.Dominika Netschova (12.Kasha Petit 61mins), 11.Sophie Fogarty (c)

Officials:
Referee – Ernest Jennings
Assistants – George Dengel, Gavin Smith

2015/16 MK Dons Ladies 2-1 Norwich City Ladies

MK Dons Ladies 2-1 Norwich City Ladies
FA Women’s Premier League South East Division 1
Sunday 23rd August 2015
Willen Road, Newport Pagnell
Attendance: estimated 55

A brief report of my first live game watching women’s football.

Following a slow start from the players in steady rain, the referee had no other option than to suspend play in the 12th minute when torrential rain and lightning threatened player’s safety. The famous Willen Road rabbits made an impromptu appearance on the pitch during the rain break, much to the delight of the crowd. After a pitch inspection 24 minutes later, the referee deemed the surface and conditions good enough to resume play.

The game was well contested in difficult conditions with Norwich City having the best of the play, hitting the post twice before Chelsea Garrett was shown a straight red card in the 31st minute. As so often happens, the 10 ladies of Norwich somehow managed to strengthen their hold on the game and they got the breakthrough on 43 minutes when a cross shot from Natasha Snelling was mishandled by the keeper and the ball crossed the line for the opening goal.

MK Dons briefly rallied and were only denied an equaliser by a superb save from the Canaries keeper, Fiona Coombes.

Unsurprisingly as the ten Canaries tired during the second period and the Dons became increasingly dominant with good build up play whilst lacking any clinical finishing.

Against the run of play, the game was almost put out of sight by City in the 64th and 65th minutes when successive long range shots from the Canary’s Erin Wilson and Natasha Snelling both beat Emma Kirby in the Don’s goal only to see the ball crash against the crossbar.

The Dons only needed 5 minutes to capitalise on City’s misfortune when Charley Clarke turned the ball into the back of the net following a corner, levelling the scores in the 70th minute. It took the Dons only another two minutes to double their tally when Andie Dickens deftly lobbed the ball from the edge of the box over a crowd of players and the unsighted Fiona Coombes to score the winner.

Milton Keynes comfortably played out time to remain unbeaten and sitting proudly at the top of the table.

43 mins 0-1 Natasha Snelling
70 mins 1-1 Charley Clarke
72 mins 2-1 Andie Dickens
HT 0-1
FT 2-1

MK Dons Ladies:
Kirby, Barrett, Clarke, Cudone, Doyle, Gillings, Hollingsworth, McDonnell, Naylor, Watson, Wright. Subs: Dickens, Goodier, Murphy

Norwich City Ladies:
Coombes, Fewkes-Woodrow, Garret, Larkin, Parsons, Radley, Shorten, Smith, Snelling (Swift, 72 mins), Wilson (Osborne, 76 mins), Wiseman (Knights, 81 mins). Unused sub: Nicholson.

Officials: