Sunday 16th April
FA PREMIER LEAGUE
NORTHERN DIVISION
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Leicester City Women (Att: 35)
SOUTHERN DIVISION
Portsmouth 2-5 Crystal Palace (Att: 97)
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Cardiff City LFC (Att: 67)
West Ham United 0-0 Lewes (Att: 56)
MIDLANDS DIVISION 1
Long Eaton United 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
The New Saints 5-0 Radcliffe Olympic (Att: 45)
NORTHERN DIVISION 1
Chester le Street Town 1-3 Guiseley Vixens (Att: 30)
SOUTH EAST DIVISION 1
Cambridge United 5-4 Norwich City
Stevenage 0-1 Gillingham (Att: 40)
SOUTH WEST DIVISION 1
Exeter City P-P Maidenhead United
Keynsham Town 7-0 Shanklin (Att: 25)
Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Southampton Saints (Att: 60)
St Nicholas 4-4 Basingstoke Town (Att: 46)
Southampton Saints 0-3 Plymouth Argyle
Northern Division: Albion Hold Onto Late Lead
West Brom continue to creep up the table with their games in hand, having defeated Leicester City Women with a late goal to go eighth in the Northern Division. Both sides have chances in the latter stages, City’s Vanessa Kinnerley making a superb save to tip the ball behind from Trina Greaves’ powerful drive and Albion’s Bec Thomas pulling off a fine save with her legs to deny Rosie Axten. Olivia Mitcham (pictured) had the decisive 4 minutes from time, poking home from close-range. But Leicester so nearly replied as Moriah Mackintosh forced a goal-line clearance from Sophie Hull, who then combined with Kelly Darby to block an effort from the same player.
Southern Division: Dramatic Comeback Keeps Spurs On Track
Spurs won with a very late winner against Southern title rivals Cardiff and now need just one victory from their last four games to become champions. That could come this Wednesday at White Hart Lane against West Ham.
Cori Williams powered Cardiff ahead after only 6 minutes, with the hosts then hitting the woodwork three times through Bianca Baptiste, Ellis Hillman and Jenna Schillaci before the interval. Ten minutes after the break and Josie Green crashed another effort against the City bar and with 6 minuts left, Lucia Leon set up Nikita Whinnett to equalises. Six minutes into added time, Wendy Martin met Baptitste’s cross and found the far corner.
Gemma Bryan scored four times as Crystal Palace an out 5-2 victors at Portsmouth. Her first came early on, with Rosie Paye heading home her first goal of the Eagles via the underside of the crossbar, making it 2-0 in the 9th minute. A quickly-taken Pompey free-kick 2 minutes later saw Gemma Hillier find Tash Stephens to pull one back but Bryan made it 3-1 on 32 minutes. Very early in the second half, Bryan got her hat-trick from the spot, with Portsmouth manager Jay Sadler sent to the stands. Samantha Quayle lobbed in the hosts’ second and Channell Yardley soon denied Hillier a third when clean through. Bryan then rounded off the scoring in the last 10 minutes.
Action from Portsmouth v Crystal Palace (Jordan Hampton)
West Ham’s point from the goalless draw at home to Lewes lifted them up to ninth spot.
Midland Division 1: Wolves Slip Up Again
Wolves hopes of catching leaders Loughborough Foxes were further damaged as they slipped to a 1-0 loss at Long Eaton. Portia Badach struck from 20 yards to take her side level opn poins with sixth-placed Radcliffe.
TNS are fourth following their five-goal defeat of Radcliffe Olympic. Emily Ridge featured with a four-goal haul, Charlotte Canlett getting the other.
Northern Division 1: Guiseley Almost Up
Guiseley require only one point from four games to secure promotion straight back to the Northern Division. They took a 9th-minute lead at Chester le Street when Chantelle O’Hara hit the post and Sarah Danby was on hand to poke home the rebound. Danby’s corner on 33 minutes was cleared only to Debbie Hastings, who lashed the ball home from 12 yards. Their third came after 64 minutes, Josie Hewson whipping in a top cross for Emily Scott to head home. Nichole Goundry-Havery then pulled a goal back with 20 minutes left.
South East Division 1: Gills Stay On Course As U’s Win Thriller
Unbeaten Gillingham scored the only goal at Stevenage to remain on course for the title. Boro were denied by the crossbar in a goalless first-half and the Gills took the lead when Jenny Newman headed in from Charlotte Gurr’s free kick. Stevenage, keen on points towards survival, won apenalty but it was saved by Courtney Shanly.
Cambridge United edged Norwich City in a nine-goal thriller, going second on goal-difference as a result. The next-to-bottom visitors scored first, then Sarah Wiltshire forced a save from which Nicole Perschky nodded home the rebound and then Carrie Bennett’s ball into the box from 30 yards went staright in to give the U’s the advantage. The Canaries retook the lead only for Carolyn Sarafian to volley the hosts level via a corner, seconds after the restart. Laura Mills lifted the ball over the onrushing keeper to put the United in front and even through that was cancelled out, Perschky netted an 81st-minute penalty at the second attempt to clinch the points. Scorers for Norwich were Aimee Durrant, Kyla Love and Ellen Swift with a brace.
South West Division 1: Pilgrims Make Progress On Chichester
Plymouth won both matches in their double-header at home to Southampton Saints but still trail leaders Chichester by 7 points and with only one game in hand. Tori Marks’ 18th-minute lob was enough to win the first 60-minute game, although the post saved Argyle from the last kick.
Becky Dandridge had Plymouth ahead in the second fixture and from Katie Middleton’s long free-kick, Tash Knapman made it 2-0 and then lobbed the keeper from 10 yards for thie third. But moments later missed out on a hat-trick, blazing a spot-kick over the top.
Keynsham Town put seven goals past Shanklin, with Keka Vega hitting a hat-trick. Katie Cooke, Steph Nascimento, Hannah Davies and Justine Lorton-Radburn added one each.
St Nicholas’s 4-4 tie with Basingstoke Town – also played at Kaynsham – was enough to edge them into seventh position.
Pictured top – Today’s Tottenham starting XI and mascot
