Derby County Ladies Summary 10th April 2005
**** Junior Open days this year will take place at Derby College , Mackworth****
Saturdays 11th and 18th June. U10 and U12 9.45 am till 12.00. U14 and U16 11.45am till 2pm
Please note that further information about joining Derby County Ladies and League tables are available on our web-site www.dclfc.co.uk
Detailed reports
First
Team
Derby County Ladies collected another three points from their away fixture at Steel City Wanderers, and although it was not one of their better performances this season at this stage any win is a good win as they close to just one point on the league leaders by catching up their games in hand. The home side played a well-practised offside trap high up on the pitch but Derby succeeded in springing the trap on four occasions to find a player clear through on goal but in each case the keeper came off best. However as the game wore on Precious Hamilton was in tremendous form to hit four goals and left-back Jenny Simpson added another to her impressive goal tally with a trade-mark header from a corner. The defence for the most part held firm, but Derby were caught out twice by superb strikes from outside the box to make the final score 5-2 to the Rams.
Reserves No match
U16
Derby County Ladies U16's were looking to put pressure on Rushden in the race for second place when they hosted Coventry City . Kicking down the slope and with the wind in the first half, Derby were looking to gain an advantage for what could be a potentially tough second half. The girls got the perfect start after 10 minutes when Cara Newton's right wing run and cross was met simultaneously by the Coventry defender and striker Emily Maskrey and the ball was forced over the line. Shortly after another right wing cross was met by top scorer Charlotte Miles and she doubled Derby 's lead. Coventry showed glimpses of their own ability when they broke free a couple times only for captain Suzanne Hart to thwart any attack. As halftime approached a Coventry goal kick found Charlotte Miles 30 yards out and her first time effort found the far corner. Derby pressed for more goals but Coventry kept the score to 3 and would hope to press with the elements in the second half . Coventry came out after the break with determination and vigour and put the Derby defence of Suzanne Hart, Jess Sippits, Kelly Bishop and Becky Smith under pressure but those four held firm. After weathering the storm it was Derby who started to press again with midfielders Kayley Harris and Amy Pashley dictating the play from the middle. With 15 minutes remaining Kayley Harris' through ball saw Cara Newton run through and seal the win for Derby . There was time for a fifth goal when Cara Newton’s free kick found Jade Brown 12 yards out and she slotted home.
The win was very convincing for Derby, whose second half performance in particular was very good. The girls now look forward 2 weeks when they take on bottom side West Bromwich Albion.
U14
Derby County suffered their heaviest defeat of the season to a well organised Leicester City. Leicester were far too strong for Derby, scoring 6 goals in the first half and making good use of the advantages of the slope and the wind whilst the Rams only managed one shot at the Leicester goal. The second half saw a slight improvement from Derby, even though Leicester added another 3 goals to the six they scored in the first half. The best goal of the game came from Derby when they were awarded a free kick 30 yards out and up stepped Jodie Ward to put an unstoppable shot in the top left hand corner. Beckham would have been proud of that one.
U12 Black
A goal-packed game saw Derby County Black just edge victory away to Beeston Town thanks to a Lauren Yeomans hat-trick and strikes from Maeve Nethercott and Michelle Kilmartin.
U12 White
A re-arranged midweek fixture against Forest Red kicked off in a torrential downpour, but the quality of play from both sides made spectators and players soon forget the weather. An even first half saw both teams create chances, Forest having more, but Derby going closest as Melissa Holmes headed off the Forest line.
The second half saw Forest take command and an early lead through Lauren Pritchard. A second was added by Natasha Bird as Forest began to dominate the match and squandered some chances before Derby grabbed a late solo effort, to make the last 5 mins a very tense affair. Derby pressed like at no other period of the match, but Forest held out for a win. Congratulations to both sets of players for outstanding commitment in foul weather.
With discussions in progress on whether the U12 division should move to 11-a-side next season, Derby County took a break from league action on Sunday to once again entertain Nottingham Forest , but in their first ever taste of 11-a-side football. In an exciting game that proved that both of these teams would be capable of performing at that level the final score was 3-3.
U10
With the Derby girls only needing one point from this match to clinch the league title it was clear right from kick off that they were going all-out to make certain. There was some great passing play throughout the match and this created numerous chances on the Radcliffe goal, but the keeper and defence held out until the Rams started hitting the target.
Derby used the wings well and took some excellent corners throughout the match and this tireless work and constant pressure on the Radcliffe goal resulted in an 8 - 0 win ensuring the Derby girls the league title. Goals came from Naomi Smith 1, Charlotte Hall 2, Megan Parker 3, Daisy Pridden 1, and Riah Maskrey 1. Well done to the rest of the Derby team Rosie Twells, Holly Townsend, Agnes Milner, Amy Naylor, Georgia Williamson and Rebecca Jones.
Great team work from all of you, your manager and everyone at the club is very proud of you.
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sunday 17th April
Radcliffe Olympic v Derby County Ladies (Unison East Midlands Premier Div)
Derby County Reserves v Steel City Wanderers (Unison East Midlands Reserve Div, 2pm Derby College , Mackworth)
Little Eaton Diamonds v Derby County U12 White (Notts Girls)