Droitwich Spa Ladies 2-2 Redditch United Women – 12/01/2025
A tale of two halves as the reds surrendered a two goal lead.
Images by Maisie Taylor
The reds went into Sunday’s league fixture at Droitwich Spa Ladies having not played for a considerable amount of time following an extended Christmas and New Year break due to postponements which frustratingly halted their season.
Manager Jade Guppy was without a few key players for this fixture. Stand-in goalkeeper Ellie Baker, midfielder Robyn Hall, forwards Alice Rogers and Emily Douglas were all missing from the squad.
It was the hosts five minutes that had the first attempt at goal after a miss clearance in the reds defence fell to a Droitwich player, but her shot was dragged wide of the post.
The reds had their opportunity of the game six minutes later, however Maz Redmond-Lyon’s half chance was comfortably saved by the Droitwich’s goalkeeper.
Redditch took control of the half after that half chance and ten minutes later Redmond-Lyon played in Humera Ashfaq who showed good feet in the box to put the ball onto her other foot, but her shot could only find the side netting.
In the twenty third minute Ashfaq played an excellent cross to Maddy Sutton, but her stab at goal was saved.
Three minutes later the reds somehow didn’t take the lead after Ashfaq’s shot took a wicked deflection and it looked through all the world it was heading into the bottom right-hand corner, but the Droitwich keeper made an unbelievable save to keep the scores level.
The reds were pushing for a goal in the last third of the half. Ashfaq, Redmond-Lyon and Nieve Newman all tried their luck from distance, however no shot troubled the keeper.
Captain Casey Ryder had a header after a great corner was whipped in from Sutton, but could only find the side netting.
On the stroke of half time the reds finally got the goal that their persistence and performance merited after Ashfaq teed up Redmond-Lyon who fired the ball into the net to give Redditch a 1-0 lead going into the interval.
Two minutes after the restart the reds doubled their advantage. It was role reversal after this time Redmond-Lyon played in a great ball through the Droitwich defence which saw Ashfaq bare down on goal and she made no mistake putting the ball past the keeper.
Droitwich immediately pulled a goal back after the reds failed to deal with a corner which was played deep into the box and was tapped into an empty net.
In the fifty fifth minute Ashfaq played in Sutton with the reds keen to double their advantage for the second time in the game, but the keeper was equal to the shot
That was the catalyst for the hosts to take control of the game and was dictating the half from the base of midfield and got their rewards in in the sixty sixth minute after a missed header at the back fell perfectly to Droitwich’s striker and made no mistake into lobbing Noami Parkinson in the reds goal to leave the game all square.
Chances were few and far between after the Droitwich equalizer as the game ended 2 a piece, but both sides would’ve been happy taking away a point each.
Final Score:
Droitwich Spa Ladies 2-2 Redditch United Women
Redditch United Women goals:
Redmond-Lyon (45), Ashfaq (47)
Yellow cards:
Redmond-Lyon (81)
Redditch United Women Line Up: Parkinson, Waine, Bugg-Millar, Broadbent, Pygott, Ryder ©, Redmond-Lyon, Newman (Farrell,74), Burke, Sutton, Ashfaq
Unused Sub: Whittaker
Manager Jade Guppy spoke after the game and here is what she had to say about the game:
“Given that we hadn’t played in over a month, I was extremely pleased with how we played. It was a good performance from the ladies and they followed the strategies that were outlined at the beginning of the game.
We created some really good passages of play, but credit goes to Droitwich who managed to make some changes at halftime and get back into the game.
In spite of the absence of some key players, the team should be proud of what they accomplished. We are looking forward to our next game in the quarter-final of the challenge vase next Sunday”
We also caught up with goalscorers Maz Redmond-Lyon and Humera Ashfaq immediately after the final whistle to get their thoughts on the game.
Humera said “I think in the first half we were definitely the stronger team. Just struggled to put our chances away, we’ve had six weeks off so was good to come back out, get some minutes in the legs, get a draw, at the end of the day it’s one point”
Maz added “ We had a couple of good goals and had a lot of chances in the first half just couldn’t get them in the back of the net at the end of the day and in the second half due to time off, the other team had a lot of subs and they showed a better performance in the second half and as long as we got the point we can move onto next week”
Next up for the reds is a cup Women’s Challenge Vase quarter final action as we take on Stourbridge Standard Women at The Valley Stadium on Sunday 19th January 2025 with a scheduled kick off time of 15:00pm.
Tickets are available from the turnstiles and can be purchased by either cash or card with pricing at £3.00 for adults, £1.00 for under 16s and free entry for under 5’s.
Manchester City Women 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion Women – 29/09/2024
Bunny Shaw scored the only goal of the game and by doing so opened her WSL tally for the season as City beat The Seagulls 1-0 at The Joie stadium
City were back at The Joie Stadium for the first time in the WSL this season as they welcomed Brighton & Hove Albion.
City were looking to build on the 2-2 draw at The Emirates last Sunday against Arsenal.
Jill Roord made her first appearance after nine months out, coming off the bench to an outstanding reception from the City faithful.
What Happened
The opening ten minutes went by without either side creating an opportunity although City did have the majority of the possession in breezy and chilly conditions in Manchester.
City had the first opportunity of the game two minutes later after Hemp had an effort at the edge of the box, but it was a comfortable hold for Baggarley in The Brighton net.
In the sixteenth minute after some lovely interchanges between Hemp and Shaw around the box, Shaw had an effort that went over the bar.
Two minutes later Hemp put a cross in from the left-hand side, but Shaw couldn’t get a connection on her header and the ball went wide of the post.
Brighton had their first chance of the game after twenty minutes after Bremer was played in down the left channel and used her pace to drive into the box and square the ball into the box after Yamashita committed herself, but the cross came to nothing as it fell to a City body.
Eight minutes later Miedema picked up the ball and had shot, but she couldn’t get the power on the effort to trouble Baggarley.
A minute later Brighton had their first effort of the game after Kirby’s shot is saved by City keeper Yamashita.
In the fortieth minute City had their best chance of the game so far as Shaw is played in and she rounds the keeper, but her shot was blocked. Park followed up with her effort going just aver the crossbar.
Brighton had a fantastic opportunity to take the lead two minutes after
City took a deserved lead just minutes before the break after Bunny Shaw was played in by Casparij and Shaw made no mistake slotting the ball past Baggarley for her first WSL goal of the season.
It was The Blues who were the better side in the first half to go into break 1-0 up thanks to Shaw’s goal.
Into the second half and within two minutes after Fujino got the ball on the right-hand side and stung Baggarley fingers with an effort.
Brighton made a triple change ten minutes after the restart with Agyemang, Parris and Haley replacing Vilamala, Seike and Bremer to try to put some pressure on The Blues.
Fifteen minutes later Brighton made their fourth change of the contest as Pattinson made way for Symonds.
City were pushing for a second goal with twenty minutes to play, but Brighton was remaining resolute restricting City to half chances.
The Blues made a substitution of their own in the seventy sixth minute after Fowler replaced goal scorer Shaw.
Two minutes later Fowler immediately had a chance to double City’s lead, but her shot went over the bar.
Jill Roord then came on for City which she received a rousing reception from The Joie Stadium after nine months out of action with an ACL injury with Miedema making way in the eight first minute.
Two minutes later The Blues had a great chance to seal the points after Hemp played in Park, but her effort was saved by Baggarley.
Three minutes from time Hemp drove into the box and showed great feet, but her shot was saved by Baggarley to keep The Seagulls in the contest.
City had a chance in stoppage time with Roord getting a header in from Hemp’s cross, but the header wasn’t troubling Baggarley.
Brighton made a change in stoppage time with McLauglan coming on for Olislagers.
City comfortably held on to get their first three points in The WSL this season.
Player Of The Match
Ayaka Yamashita was named player of the match on her birthday after the keeper made some key saves and was a key part to City getting the three points.
How We Lined Up
Gareth Taylor made five changes to his side with Yamashita, Casparij, Miedema, Hemp and Fujino coming into the side in place of Keating, Kennedy Kelly, Blindkilde Brown and Fowler.
Jill Roord was named in the squad for the first time in nine months following her return from an ACL injury which she suffered in the continental cup fixture at Manchester United back in January.
City had Yamashita in goal, with Casparij, Greenwood, Aleixandri and Layzell made up the back four. Hasegawa, Park and Miedema in midfield with a front three of Hemp, Fujino and Shaw to complete The Blues line up.
City XI: Yamashita,Layzell, Aleixandri, Greenwood (c), Casparij, Hasegawa, Park, Miedema (Roord 81), Hemp, Shaw (Fowler 76), Fujino
Unused subs: Keating, Coombs, Kelly, Roord, Kennedy, Blindkilde Brown, Thomas, Murphy
Brighton XI: Baggaley, Thorisoottir, Pattinson (Symonds 69), Berosvano, Losaoa (c), Bremer (Ageyemang 56), Seike (Haley 56), Kirby, Carabali, Olislagers, Mclauchlon 90), Vilamala (Parris 56).
Unused subs: Avee, Poulter, Loecic.
What It Means
The win ensures City’s unbeaten start to the season which leaves The Blues sitting in third place on four points.
What’s Next
Next up for The Blues see’s West Ham United Women visit The Joie Stadium in The WSL next Sunday with a scheduled kick off time of 13:00pm.
Redditch United Women 2-1 Crusaders Women – 01/09/2024
Images by Maisytayphotography and HollyCHPhotography
The Reds triumph to the second qualifying round of The FA Cup thanks to goals from Maddy Sutton and Emily Douglas.
Redditch United Women kicked off their 2024-2025 campaign on Sunday against Crusaders Women in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup with both sides knowing that a victory would see them travel to face Sedgley & Gornal Women in the second qualifying round.
The match started off slow with both sides trying to figure each other out and there weren’t any clear cut chances for either side until the 20th minute when stand in keeper Ellie Baker made a save after a shot by the visitors.
The Reds then were piling on the pressure to take the lead after two chances from Chloe Bailey and Emily Douglas were all thwarted by the Crusaders keeper.
In the 37th minute The Reds were pushing for that illusive first goal when Robyn Hall picked up the ball and drove from midfield into the box, but her shot was saved by the keeper.
Three minute later Redditch took a well deserved lead after a great run by Zoe Pygott from the left and Maddy Sutton didn’t give up on the ball and tapped it home into the net.
Into the second half and it was more of the same for The Reds after Robyn Hall had an effort from distance, but the keeper was on hand to make a save.
In the 54th minute substitute Humera Ashfaq was the latest to test the keeper, but her shot is saved. Ashfaq again a few minutes later had another shot which went wide of the post.
The Reds were again piling on the pressure for a second goal and in the 64th minute Ashfaq played a brilliant ball through to Douglas who slotted the ball into the bottom left of the net for her first goal in Redditch colours and what a way to get it!
In the 71st minute The Reds nearly scored their third of the afternoon after Douglas plays the ball inside to Ashfaq who then crosses it into the box for Sutton whose looping effort just goes wide.
A minute later Redditch were made to pay for their missed opportunities after a Danielle Selmes strike went in to half the visitors deficit.
The visitors put pressure on for the equaliser but didn’t really create anything to trouble The Reds. Redditch’s defence resisted any Crusaders attempts at a comeback.
Redditch then settled back into the last ten and had two golden opportunities to put the tie to bed.
Firstly, Chloe Bailey was played in by Ashfaq and had an option to square it, but instead shot and forced The Crusader keeper into a good save.
Shortly after Emily Douglas hit the bar three minutes from time.
Redditch comfortably held on to progress to the second qualifying round of the Women’s FA Cup where they will travel to take on Sedgley & Gornal Women. Tie to be played Sunday 22nd September.
Full time score : Redditch United Women 2-1 Crusaders Women
Goal scorers : Maddy Sutton (41)
Emily Douglas (64)
Players Player Of The Match : Ellie Baker
Managers Player Of The Match : Emily Douglas
Next up is the start of The West Midlands Regional League Division One South Division as The Reds host Solihull Moors Women Devs on Sunday 8th September.
More details on this fixture will be released in due course so be sure to keep across our social channels throughout the week.
Thank you for all your continued support. Up The Ditch ❤️🖤
Solihull Moors 0-0 Walsall – 03/08/2024
Team News
Moors made wholesale changes from last time out as Warburton and Campbell retained their places.
Walker, Newton, Clarke, Whitmore, Tipton, Labadie, Stevens, Gale all come in as well as new Moors signing Bostock.
Pinnington who also signed this week after impressing on his previous outings for Moors whilst on trial was named on the substitute bench.
Match Report
The match started with no real chances as both sides tried to settle into the game, but then Moors were given a free kick in the seventh minute at the edge of the box but Bostock’s effort from the free kick just shaded the crossbar.
The visitors had their first opportunity of the game in the thirteenth minute, but Gordon’s effort was comfortably held by Walker in The Moors net.
In the twenty fourth minute Moors had a great chance to take the lead after Stevens had a fantastic run down the left-hand side and set up Warburton whose effort went wide.
Just after the half hour mark Walsall had a great chance to take the lead after the ball was kept in on the left channel but Barrett couldn’t keep the ball down from a Jellis cross.
In the forty first minute the ball broke to Walsall’s Taylor allen, but he’s shot went over the stand which kept the teams level going into the break.
Into the second half and it started exactly as the first half did with either side making any chances.
Moors substitution Stevenson almost had an immediate impact on the game as his shot just went wide of the post in the sixty first minute.
Five minutes later in the sixty sixth minute Gale had a shot from close range, but his shot could only sting the gloves of Simkin in the Walsall net.
Two minutes later in the sixty eighth minute Walsall had a chance through Josh Gordon after he was played in by Liam Gordon, but his shot was soundly saved by Walker down to his left to keep the scores level.
Moors had the best chance of the game so far in the seventy fifth minute after Stevens put a ball across the face of the box to the far post, but Stevenson’s effort could only find the side netting.
In the eighty seventh minute a Walsall breakaway nearly presented a late winner, but Maher’s shot was blocked and resulted into a save from Walker which was the final opportunity as the game ended all square.
Moors Starting XI: Walker, Newton, Clarke(c), Whitmore, Tipton, Bostock, Labadie (45), Warburton (60), Stevens (84), Gale, Campbell (75).
Moors Subs Used: Pinnington, Stevenson, Ryley, Holmes
Walsall Starting XI: Simkin, Barrett, Gordon, McEntee (60), Farquharson, Allen, Stirk, Jellis, Lakin, Matt (72), Gordon.
Walsall Subs Used: Okagbue, Maher,
Attendance: 837
Next up for The Moors is a trip to AFC Fylde next Saturday in the opening league game of the 2024/2025 National League Season.
Solihull Moors 0-3 Oxford United – 20/07/2024
Solihull Moors second preseason game of the 2024/2025 season ends in defeat as Oxford came away with the victory.
The match started with the visitors seeing a lot of the ball and in the 6th minute Oxford had the first opportunity of the match, but Cameron Brannagan’s free kick was comfortably held by Moors keeper Laurie Walker.
In the thirteenth minute Alex Whitmore makes a superb block to stop a Mark Harris shot that was heading on target.
Three minutes later Oxford United took the lead after a through ball to Mark Harris left him through on goal and slotted the ball into the bottom right of the net.
The visitors had two chances in three minutes after Walker makes a good save in the twenty second minute after a loose ball finds Ruben Rodrigues who plays in Brannagan, but the striker couldn’t apply the finish.
Then in the twenty fifth minute Gaitlin O’Donker cuts inside from the right and forced Walker into an excellent save down to his left.
In the thirty second minute Moors had their first attempt on goal after Sam Bowen plays the ball to Jack Stevens who cut inside but his effort went wide of the post.
Three minutes later the visitors doubled their lead through Tyler Goodrham who’s shot from the edge of the box went in off the woodwork.
Just before the break Oxford had a chance for their third but Harris fired just wide of the post.
Into the second half and it took until the fifty second minute when Moors had a fantastic opportunity to get themselves back into the game when James Gale’s shot hits the outside of the post after being set up by Stevens.
Two minutes later the visitors had the chance to extend their lead but O’Donker’s header was saved by Walker.
In the sixty ninth minute Moors gifted a chance to Will Goodwin but his chip goes wide.
In the final minute of the game James Golding extended the visitors lead after he had a free header in the box that left keeper Flahavan stranded.
The game ended in a 3-0 defeat for The Moors at the hands of Championship outfit Oxford United.
Next up for The Moors is a trip to face Halesowen Town on Tuesday evening in their third pre-season game of 2024/25 season.
Moors Starting XI: Walker, Trialist A, Clarke, Whitmore, Newton, Mafuta, Bowen (Tipton 44), Benton, Stevenson, Stevens, Gale.
Moors Subs Used: Flahavan, Shambrook, Martin, Craig, Holmes, Bruck, Corns, Needs.
Oxford United Starting XI: Cumming, Kioso, Moore, Brown, Bennett, McEachran, Brannagan, Rodrigues, O’Donker, Goodrham, Harris.
Oxford United Subs Used: Long, Golding, Thorniley, Currie, Vaulks, Sibley, Goodwin, Griffiths, Wheeler.
Walsall 3-0 Morecambe – 20/02/2024
It was sixteenth vs tenth in this Tuesday night Sky Bet League Two fixture as Walsall and Morecambe locked horns at The Poundland Bescot Stadium.
The Saddlers won their first game in six on Saturday after second half goals from Matt and Adegboyega was enough to secure a 2-1 win against division highflyers Mansfield Town.
Meanwhile Morecambe came away with 1-1 draw at AFC Wimbledon thanks to Stokes first time finish in the 74th minute.
Both sides made two changes as Adegboyega and Tierney came in for Earing and Farquharson for Walsall and Morecambe were without striker Garner after he pulled up against AFC Wimbledon whilst Songo’o dropped to bench. Slew and Adams were called into the starting line up for The Shrimps.
There was a minute’s applause before kick-off in memory of former Saddler’s boss Jan Sorensen who passed away earlier this week. Both sets of players also wore black armbands as a mark of respect.
Morecambe started the game the better of the two sides but struggled to create any clear-cut chances in the first ten minutes. It was in fact Walsall who had the games first clear attempt in the 11th minute after Hutchinson hit a strike from the edge of the box which was tipped over by Mair in the Morecambe net for a corner.
From the Walsall corner in the 13th minute Hutchinson’s shot was blocked but the ball only fell to Tierney who hit a powerful shot past Mair to put the ball into the bottom right of the net.
Morecambe was still applying the pressure and played some decent stuff but we’re unable to carve out any openings for an equaliser until the 24th minute after Taylor had an effort that was comfortably saved in the Walsall goal from Smith.
The Saddlers immediately doubled their lead by going up the other end to score after Josh Gordan did some fantastic running into the box to square the ball to Walsall Captain Matt who tapped home at the far post.
In the 34th minute Morecambe came close to get back into the game, but the shot was deflected just wide of the post.
There were two chances for The Saddlers before the half time break. Firstly, Matt had a chance to score his brace in the 43rd minute after a ball was played over the top but couldn’t direct his header past Mair.
Secondly in the 46th minute of two additional minutes that was allocated by the match officials Hutchinson hit a shot that was just deflected wide of the post.
Half Time – Walsall 2-0 Morecambe
Into the second half and Morecambe came out and was looking to get on the scoreboard but they struggled to carve out any openings as Walsall’s defence was equal to whatever The Shrimps had to throw at them.
In the 63rd minute Morecambe defender Tutonda tried an ambitious effort that hit the top of the stand where the 109 Morecambe fans that made their journey down the M6 were housed.
A minute later Walsall got the killer goal and their third of the evening after Earing (who came on for Tierney) played a ball to Matt whose shot hit the post and the ball fell to Adegboyega who tapped home for his second goal in two games after his winner against Mansfield Town on Saturday.
Morecambe manager Ged Brannan seen himself in hot water after he was booked for something he said to referee Carl Brook.
Walsall then used the final quarter of the game to frustrate Morecambe which was a theme throughout the game. Morecambe played some lovely football but fell apart in both boxes where Walsall on the other were excellent throughout every area of the pitch and deserved their win.
Full time – Walsall 3-0 Morecambe
Adegboyega was announced as man of the match over the tannoy which capped off an excellent defensive display and with a goal to boot.
Walsall remain sixteenth in the Sky Bet League Two table but only three points separate them from going into the play off places and they travel to seventh placed Harrogate Town on Saturday knowing that if they return to The Poundland Bescot Stadium with all three points they will leapfrog their Yorkshire opponents.
Morecambe on the other hand dropped one place to eleventh but are in still in the mix to land a play off place come the end of the season. Up next for The Shrimps is a home clash against strugglers Grimsby Town and will be hoping to bounce back from tonight’s disappointing defeat.
Attendance: 4,543 (109 visitors)
Man Of The Match: Emmanuel Adegboyega
Goal Scorers: Ross Tierney (13), Jamille Matt (26) and Emmanual Adegboyega (65)
Walsall Bookings: Comley, J Gordon, and Knowles
Walsall Substitutes Used: Earing, Stirk, Faal, Foulkes, and James-Taylor
Walsall Unused Substitutes: Evans and Riley
Morecambe Bookings: Stokes and Tutonda
Morecambe Substitutes Used: Rawson, Smith, Edwards, and Melbourne Morecambe Unused Substitutes: Smith, Songo’o and Harrack
Redditch United Women 3-2 Worcester City Development Women – 04/02/2024
On Sunday The Reds were looking for their first win since October with the season nearing its conclusion as they faced off against Worcester City Development Women in Pershore.
Last time out Redditch welcomed Hereford Pegasus Ladies to The Valley but succumbed to a 4-3 defeat. Two goals from Chloe Bailey and a goal from Jade Guppy weren’t enough to help The Reds pick up some much-needed points.
Meanwhile, Worcester City Development Women hammered Sedgley & Gornal United 5-1 at home to secure the three points for City.
The two sides last met in Pershore just before Christmas and City came out 4-2 winners over Redditch thanks to goals from Emma Collins, Katie Heath, Tilly Pearson, and Lottie Watson. Chloe Bailey and Cassandra Kameni-Siewe halved the deficit for The Reds, but City came away from the fixture with all three points.
The start of the game didn’t see any chances for either side as both teams were feeling each other out. It took until the 17th minute for the game’s first effort as Worcester had a direct free kick hit the outside of the post.
Two minutes later it was Redditch’s turn to have their first attempt on goal after captain Casey Ryder headed wide from a Chloe Bailey Corner.
In the 33rd minute, City got the breakthrough after The Reds struggled to deal with a free kick and Lottie Watson was on hand to put the ball into the net.
Five minutes later Worcester doubled their lead as Lauren Smith fired the ball past Megan Burton in the Redditch net.
On the stroke of half time, The Reds had a great chance to get back into the game as Cassandra Kameni-Siewe beat the goalkeeper but squared the ball to Maisy Toy whose resulting shot was saved by City’s keeper.
Into the second half The Reds were determined to strike early and they did just that after a Chloe Bailey corner was met with confusion and Cassandra Kameni-Siewe capitalised and put the ball into an empty net.
Redditch were piling on the pressure and penning City back and in the 56th minute Cherelle Archibald played in Jade Guppy who forced City’s keeper into a save to deny an equaliser. Eight minutes later Robyn Hall played in Jade Guppy who was one on one with the goalkeeper but couldn’t direct her shot on target.
The Reds were pushing for the leveller and five minutes later they had it after Cassandra Kameni-Siewe scored her second with a fantastic finish into the top corner.
In the 75th minute, Chloe Bailey retrieved the ball inside the box and laid the ball back to Robyn Hall whose shot was somehow touched behind for a corner. From the resulting corner, Olivia Burke picked out Jade Guppy whose glancing header just went wide.
Eight minutes later Jade Guppy was played through again and somehow the City keeper saved it with her feet.
The Reds were pushing for a winner as Worcester couldn’t get out and in the 85th minute Redditch did just that after Robyn Hall played an outrageous ball over the top of the Worcester defence to Chloe Bailey who leathered a shot into the top corner with a great finish.
That was Chloe Bailey’s tenth goal for The Reds in sixteen league matches leaving the race for the top of the scoring charts wide open.
That’s how the game ended with The Reds coming from 2-0 down to win the match 3-2 in a game of two halves. Redditch will feel they deserved their win as they created chance after chance in the second half.
Final score: Redditch United Women 3-2 Worcester City Development Women
Redditch United Women goals:
Cassandra Kameni-Siewe (47, 67)
Chloe Bailey (85)
Next up for The Reds is sixth place Leamington Lions Ladies at The Valley on Sunday 11th February with a scheduled kick off time of 3pm.
Tickets will be priced £3.00 for adults with u13s free with a paying adult.
Thank you all for your continued support. Up the Reds!
Redditch United Women 2-2 Sedgley & Gornal United Women – 07/01/2024
On Sunday The Reds were back in action following the Christmas and New Year Break as Sedgley & Gornal United Women were the visitors to The Valley Stadium – Powered by Impact Performance.
Before the break Redditch were defeated 4-2 at the hands of Worcester City Women Development in Pershore. Chloe Bailey and Cassandra Kameni-Siewe both scored respectively for The Reds in the second half.
The visitors meanwhile hadn’t been in action since the 10th of December 2023 after coming out 3-2 winners at The Dell Stadium by beating Bewdley Town Ladies.
The game started off slowly with both sets of players trying to feel each other out with the majority of the play being played in the middle of the park in the opening stages.
It took until the 7th minute for the first opportunity of the game after Sedgley had half a chance, but the shot didn’t trouble Red’s keeper Megan Burton.
Redditch had their first opportunity of the game just five minutes later after Maddy Sutton played in Chloe Bailey with a great ball who then unleashed a powerful shot, but the Sedgley keeper somehow pulled off a fantastic save to keep the scores level.
The visitors had a great chance to take the lead after they played a ball over The Red’s defence to beat the Redditch defensive line, but Megan Burton rushed out of her box to make a good save with her feet.
Sedgley broke the deadlock in the 17th minute after the shot from the edge of the box was blocked by defender Shannon Waine but the follow up shot went into the bottom right-hand corner past Megan Burton into the Redditch net.
The Reds struggled to carve any more chances in the first half. Full back Olivia Burke had an effort which was saved by Sedgley’s keeper at her near post.
Five minutes before the end of the first half Sedgley were awarded a penalty which they dispatched to double their advantage going into the half time break.
The Red’s come out firing on all cylinders for the second half and limited Sedgley throughout the half. Three minutes after the restart Alice Rogers had a great effort from distance but yet again Sedgley’s keeper pulled off another outstanding save to deny Redditch a goal.
In the 79th minute Redditch were back in it after Chloe Bailey played an excellent ball over the Sedgley defence for Alice Rogers who controlled the ball and took the ball away from the keeper to put the ball into an empty net to pull one back for The Red’s.
There was a change in goal for The Red’s after Megan Burton came off for Hannah Ravenscroft and in the 85th minute Ravenscroft was pulled into action after Sedgley broke the Redditch defensive line, but she made a good save with her feet to deny the visitors a third goal.
Three minutes later and two minutes from time the Redditch pressure finally paid off after Alice Rogers scored with an unbelievable finish into the top corner to level the game.
The Red’s continued to pile on the pressure in the closing stages to get the winner. Alice Rogers hit another shot but unfortunately didn’t repeat the outrageous finish from her last shot and then Captain Casey Ryder had an effort that went wide of the post.
Redditch can be pleased and encourage from their fight back after being 2-0 down at half time. They showed a lot of character to get back into the game and get a positive result which will give them a lot of confidence going forward into the next few fixtures.
Final score: Redditch United Women 2-2 Sedgley & Gornal United Women
Redditch United Women Goals:
Alice Rogers (79,88)
Next up for The Red’s is a trip to face division pace setters Long Itchington Ladies in which will be a stern test. Redditch will come up against two former players from last season in forward Nakiya Lewis-Edwards and midfielder Marianna Redmond-Lyon respectively.
Last time the two sides met in October at The Valley a Chloe Bailey wonder free kick was the difference as The Red’s dug deep to come away with a 1-0 win.
More details on this fixture will be released in due course via our social channels.
We would like to go on record and say a massive thank you to each and every one of you for your unbelievable support on Sunday from behalf of the management, staff, and the players.
We all look forward to seeing you back at The Valley soon. Up the Reds!!
Redditch United 2-1 AFC Sudbury – 16/12/2023
On Saturday afternoon The Valley Stadium hosted the Southern League Premier Central Division fixture between Redditch United and AFC Sudbury.
Redditch knew they may find themselves back into the play-off places if they got a positive result and other results go their way.
AFC Sudbury on the other hand were hoping to get out of the relegation places with a crucial three points depending on other results.
Last time out The Reds crashed out of the Isuzu FA Trophy following a 4-0 defeat away at Radcliffe on Tuesday night in Manchester. Meanwhile, Sudbury came out of their last game with a 0-0 draw after hosting Stratford Town in league action last Saturday.
There were no chances in the opening stages for either side as the match progressed but in the fourth minute things became heated after Sudbury’s left winger, Adam Mills, seemingly dived inside the penalty area which wasn’t deemed yellow card worthy, much to the frustration of Redditch manager Matt Clarke.
The visitors were the first to have a meaningful attempt at goal in the 9th minute of the contest after they took a quick throw in that caught out the Redditch defence, but the Reds keeper Adam Harrison made a great save with his feet to deny the forward and keep the score level.
Three minutes later Redditch had their first attempt on goal after AJ George collected the ball at the edge of the box and showed some neat footwork, but the Sudbury goalkeeper saved his shot.
Six minutes later AJ George did the same thing, but his shot went over the bar as Redditch were looking to turn the screw and get the all-important opening goal.
A minute later in the 19th minute, The Reds did exactly that, as Gift Mussa won a header in the middle of the park to White who played a pass out to the left for AJ George who cut inside and laid the ball into the path of Rowe who left the keeper routed to the spot with a great finish.
Sudbury in the last fifteen minutes of the half were piling on the pressure to get an equaliser. Firstly, the left winger played in Sudbury’s forward, but Harrison was on hand to make the save. Then a corner came in from the left and it fell to a Sudbury player at the edge of the box who took a shot which had Harrison beaten but luckily for Redditch, it came back off the inside of the post. Then in stoppage time at the end of the half, Harrison made a superb save down to his right to ensure Redditch went into the break with a lead.
Into the second half, the visitors had an early chance to equalise, but the shot was fired over the stand. Two minutes later AJ George had a shot that went wide of the post.
Captain Flanagan nearly scored directly from a corner a few minutes later as Redditch pushed for that important second goal. In the 56th minute, The Reds had a chance to do exactly that as AJ George was tripped inside the penalty area. Flanagan (The Ginger Pirlo) made no mistake from twelve yards who fired his penalty into the top left-hand corner to double The Reds lead.
Just after the hour mark Sudbury tried their luck with a direct free kick but again Red’s keeper Harrison kept the visitors at bay. In the 77th minute, Redditch had a chance for the third after Flanagan turned inside the box, but the Sudbury goalkeeper held onto the ball.
In the 82nd minute, the visitors got their rewards for the pressure they were putting on the Redditch goal after the ball hit the post from a shot and it bounced straight to the Sudbury man who headed past Harrison to halve the deficit.
In the closing stages, Sudbury was pressing for an equaliser; firstly forcing Harrison into a save after a shot from distance and then two minutes later with a header that just went wide past the right-hand side post.
Deep into added time King applied the pressure on the Sudbury defender and won the ball back and then sprayed the ball out to Johnston whose shot was tipped behind for the corner which didn’t come to anything, and Redditch held on for a hard-fought win.
The win leaves Redditch within a point of the play-off places going into the festive period with trips to Kettering Town and Stourbridge either side of a Derby Day Boxing Day clash with Alvechurch where kids go free.
Join us for some boxing day fun which includes:
FREE entry for kids (U13’s) – Must be accompanied by a paying adult.
Treasure Hunt (1:30pm-2:45pm)
Mulled Wine
Final Score: Redditch United 2-1 AFC Sudbury
Redditch United Goals:
Callum Rowe (19)
Reece Flanagan (57 – Penalty)
Player Of The Match:
Adam Harrison – (As voted by JLC Body Repairs)
Next up for The Reds is a trip to 16th place Kettering Town on Saturday 23rd December 2023 with a scheduled kick off time of 3pm.
Thank you for all your continued support. Up the Reds!
Shifnal Town 1 – 1 Redditch United Women – 24/07/2024
Today our Redditch United Women side travelled to Shropshire to take on Shifnal Town Ladies at The Acoustafoam Stadium in our second pre season game ahead of the fast approaching season.
The reds struggled to keep possession in the first half and were second to get to the ball against a very well drilled and organised Shifnal outfit. In the 6th minute Shifnal got in behind our defence (story of our first half) and forced Johnson – Derrick into a fantastic save to push it around the post but two minutes later Shifnal took a deserved lead.
In the 30th minute Johnson- Derrick was forced into another great save as their centre forward got in behind our defence. Apart from that Redditch limited Shifnal to very few shots on goal but needed a massive improvement second half to come away with a result.
Second half was much better for Redditch as they played their natural game and didn’t allow the opposition time and space on the ball.
Chances were very limited but in the 53rd minute Redditch was given free kick right on the left-hand line of the penalty area. Newman took it and nearly caught out the keeper at the near post, but their keeper was equal to it.
In the 65th minute Shifnal had a free kick a long way out but it was struck well, and Redditch keeper Johnson – Derrick made another fantastic save.
Redditch’s second half improvement was finally rewarded in the 77th minute by a strike from Chloe Bailey that nestled into the bottom left-hand corner of the net… was it a cross or a shot? (Chloe has assured us all it was a shot!) Great improvisation to supply the finish anyhow.
In the end a draw was a fair result after a tale of two halves. Fantastic performances from Johnson – Derrick and goal scorer Bailey who have both stepped up massively since joining the team from our development team which highlights the depth within the squad we have this coming season.
Final score: Shifnal Town Ladies 1-1 Redditch United Women
Redditch United Women Goal:
Chloe Bailey (77)
Next up for Redditch United Women is a trip to Sedgley & Gornal United Women on Sunday 31st July 2022 with a 14:00pm kick off.
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