Post by Macmoish on Jan 26, 2011 9:14:48 GMT
And they lose to CARDIFF! 
South Wales Echo
City Ladies finally move off bottom spot with victory over QPR
by Anthony Woolford, South Wales EchoJ
Jan 26 2011
CARDIFF City Ladies took all three points with a 1-0 victory in this bottom-of-the-table clash with Queen’s Park Rangers in the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division.
At the start of the day, Cardiff were bottom, but only on goal difference from QPR.
The win sees them move off the bottom for the first time this season and up four places to a creditable sixth spot.
The opening minutes of the game saw the home side with a few half chances, especially when Cardiff failed to clear their lines giving QPR striker Cherrelle Albert the time to shoot from distance, but her shot just cleared the top of the crossbar.
The pitch was very heavy after several days of frost, and it didn’t lend itself to the passing game that Cardiff generally enjoy, but nevertheless the chances came in from both teams thick and fast.
After 15 minutes, good work from Rangers in the Cardiff box saw Beth Curtis shoot from the edge. Cardiff goalkeeper Rhian Nokes managed to get a good hand to the ball and palm it over the bar, which was the save of the day.
It took the Cardiff girls a while to get into their stride, but halfway through the first half they started to assert themselves.
From a QPR corner, it was Beth Lloyd who broke out of the Cardiff defence, finding Nicola Cousins with a sweet 30-yard pass, only to see the resulting shot go just wide of the left-hand upright.
Ellie Smith, out on the left, outpaced the QPR full-back all game and, as she rounded the defence, found Zoe Atkins, who also shot just wide of the target.
It was then QPR’s turn to break, but Albert shot straight at Nokes.
On the half hour, Sophie Ingle sent a pass over the top of the QPR defence to Lloyd.
She stoutly held off two Rangers’ defenders before shooting, but the Rangers goalkeeper, Emily Bourne blocked the shot with her feet.
Atkins fired the rebound towards goal, but an acrobatic clearance from Mel Bidwell prevented the opening goal.
Cardiff were awarded a free-kick, but Bourne collected the ball safely and was not troubled by the shot from Amie Lea.
The last chance of the first-half fell to the visitors when Smith and Lloyd interchanged passes, but again Lloyd shot wide, keeping the game goalless at half time.
In the opening minutes of the second-half, Cardiff were guilty of a defensive error giving Albert a chance to shoot, but Nokes was able to block with her feet before her defence cleared the danger.
A pin-point pass from Ingle put Lloyd through on goal with only the keeper to beat, but again she was guilty of misfiring as she blasted the ball wide.
In the 65th minute, Cardiff coach Michele Adams made a change, replacing Atkins with Kayleigh Green, making her return to the Cardiff first team after a six-year absence.
Within minutes she received a pass from Ingle and then put Lloyd through on goal, only for Bourne to smother the shot.
After 78 minutes, the deadlock was finally broken by the visitors following some excellent play by Lloyd and Lauren Townsend on the left.
Townsend found Cardiff captain Natasha Harding on the edge of the box and her cute chip over Bourne landed in the back of the net for a very well-worked goal to give the Welsh side all three points.
Coach Adams said: “It was an excellent close game with QPR as always, but I felt that we were on top throughout.
“We could have come away with more goals, but I was very pleased with the three points.”
Cardiff’s next game is at Leckwith, on Sunday, when they entertain Brighton (2pm), who are also in the bottom half of the table. Another three points will strengthen Cardiff’s mid-table position.
Read More www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/football-news/2011/01/26/city-ladies-finally-move-off-bottom-spot-with-victory-over-qpr-91466-28054333/#ixzz1C8BrW133
www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/football-news/2011/01/26/city-ladies-finally-move-off-bottom-spot-with-victory-over-qpr-91466-28054333/
South Wales Echo
City Ladies finally move off bottom spot with victory over QPR
by Anthony Woolford, South Wales EchoJ
Jan 26 2011
CARDIFF City Ladies took all three points with a 1-0 victory in this bottom-of-the-table clash with Queen’s Park Rangers in the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division.
At the start of the day, Cardiff were bottom, but only on goal difference from QPR.
The win sees them move off the bottom for the first time this season and up four places to a creditable sixth spot.
The opening minutes of the game saw the home side with a few half chances, especially when Cardiff failed to clear their lines giving QPR striker Cherrelle Albert the time to shoot from distance, but her shot just cleared the top of the crossbar.
The pitch was very heavy after several days of frost, and it didn’t lend itself to the passing game that Cardiff generally enjoy, but nevertheless the chances came in from both teams thick and fast.
After 15 minutes, good work from Rangers in the Cardiff box saw Beth Curtis shoot from the edge. Cardiff goalkeeper Rhian Nokes managed to get a good hand to the ball and palm it over the bar, which was the save of the day.
It took the Cardiff girls a while to get into their stride, but halfway through the first half they started to assert themselves.
From a QPR corner, it was Beth Lloyd who broke out of the Cardiff defence, finding Nicola Cousins with a sweet 30-yard pass, only to see the resulting shot go just wide of the left-hand upright.
Ellie Smith, out on the left, outpaced the QPR full-back all game and, as she rounded the defence, found Zoe Atkins, who also shot just wide of the target.
It was then QPR’s turn to break, but Albert shot straight at Nokes.
On the half hour, Sophie Ingle sent a pass over the top of the QPR defence to Lloyd.
She stoutly held off two Rangers’ defenders before shooting, but the Rangers goalkeeper, Emily Bourne blocked the shot with her feet.
Atkins fired the rebound towards goal, but an acrobatic clearance from Mel Bidwell prevented the opening goal.
Cardiff were awarded a free-kick, but Bourne collected the ball safely and was not troubled by the shot from Amie Lea.
The last chance of the first-half fell to the visitors when Smith and Lloyd interchanged passes, but again Lloyd shot wide, keeping the game goalless at half time.
In the opening minutes of the second-half, Cardiff were guilty of a defensive error giving Albert a chance to shoot, but Nokes was able to block with her feet before her defence cleared the danger.
A pin-point pass from Ingle put Lloyd through on goal with only the keeper to beat, but again she was guilty of misfiring as she blasted the ball wide.
In the 65th minute, Cardiff coach Michele Adams made a change, replacing Atkins with Kayleigh Green, making her return to the Cardiff first team after a six-year absence.
Within minutes she received a pass from Ingle and then put Lloyd through on goal, only for Bourne to smother the shot.
After 78 minutes, the deadlock was finally broken by the visitors following some excellent play by Lloyd and Lauren Townsend on the left.
Townsend found Cardiff captain Natasha Harding on the edge of the box and her cute chip over Bourne landed in the back of the net for a very well-worked goal to give the Welsh side all three points.
Coach Adams said: “It was an excellent close game with QPR as always, but I felt that we were on top throughout.
“We could have come away with more goals, but I was very pleased with the three points.”
Cardiff’s next game is at Leckwith, on Sunday, when they entertain Brighton (2pm), who are also in the bottom half of the table. Another three points will strengthen Cardiff’s mid-table position.
Read More www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/football-news/2011/01/26/city-ladies-finally-move-off-bottom-spot-with-victory-over-qpr-91466-28054333/#ixzz1C8BrW133
www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/football-news/2011/01/26/city-ladies-finally-move-off-bottom-spot-with-victory-over-qpr-91466-28054333/
