26th October 2016
Cheltenham Town Ladies welcomed West Ham United Ladies to Petersfield Park for a Women’s Premier League Plate Trophy match last Sunday. By Lawrence Taylor, University of Gloucestershire
Cheltenham, who are one division below West Ham, started the better of the two sides quickly pressurising West Ham into making mistakes and delivering dangerous balls into the box but to no avail.
On the counter West Ham won a penalty which they duly converted to take a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes.
Cheltenham managed to withhold West Ham’s attacks for the remainder of the first half with a very strong defensive display by the Robins forcing West Ham into taking long range shots, but no extra goals were added before the break.
Cheltenham came rushing out of the blocks for the second half and had their best chance of the game after a teasing free kick from Jenn Brown-Wealls fell to Louise Fensome whose header had the West Ham keeper beaten but the post stopped Cheltenham from levelling up the scores.
Cheltenham’s pressing forced turnovers in play and led to fouls being committed by West Ham.
From the free kick Jenn Brown-Wealls whipped the ball into the box, West Ham failed to clear their lines and it fell to Louise Fensome, who this time, fired it into the top left corner on the half volley, making it 1-1.
With the match going into its final moments both teams were pressing to get that all important winner to avoid extra time when the ball fell to a West Ham player outside the box who fired the ball into the back of the net with an unsaveable strike.
Heartbreak right at the end for Cheltenham as they were knocked out of the plate but many positives to come from the game after the team’s best performance of the season to date.
Full Time: Cheltenham Town Ladies 1-2 West Ham United Ladies
