Newcastle United Women make history on opening day trip to London
Newcastle United Women got their historic first ever Barclays Championship League season off and running with a trip down to Hayes Lane Bromley to take on London City Lionesses for their opening game.
Both teams have undergone a massive rebuilding phase with The Lionesses moving to a new stadium under new ownership with multi-millionaire Michelle Kang being the principle person responsible for looking to turn their fortunes around.
United meanwhile following back-to-back promotions in the past two seasons have brought in no fewer than nine new signings as they look to at the very least consolidate themselves in the Championship if not push for a third consecutive promotion.
At the end though of the ninety minutes both sides will feel happy with a point although disappointed they couldn’t get their campaigns off to a winning start as the game ended in a hard-fought pretty even 1 – 1 draw.
https://twitter.com/NUFCWomen/status/1833089438127206883
For Newcastle it was perhaps the biggest indication that life at this level is going to be tough and they won’t have things as much their own way as they have in the past two campaigns.
That said a point away from home can never be seen as a bad result and certainly gives Head Coach Becky Langley and her coaching staff plenty of positives to build and work on.
United named six of their summer recruits in the starting XI with the other three on the bench. Ex-Manchester City and England International Demi Stokes taking over the captaincy from Amber-Keegan Stobbs who was on the bench.
In the opening exchanges United looked a little nervous but once into the game began to get on top and forced the pace. Two of last season’s promotion winning team Elysia Boddy and Jas McQuade leading the way in the centre of midfield.
Rachel Furness just failing to get on the end of one cross and Amy Andrews firing across the face of the goal inside the first ten minutes. At the other end Lia Catalado making a great interception for United to stop Emma Mukandi’s dangerous run.
The first real shot on goal from either side coming from United’s Boddy who fired well over from outside the box before Newcastle almost got the breakthrough on 15 minutes. A ball in from the right by Catalado was met at the near post with a Shania Hayles flick but Emily Orman got down to make an excellent block.
However, Hayles was not to be denied and put Newcastle in front on 20 minutes. McQuade doing brilliantly to win a ball in midfield and then threading a pass through the home box for Hayles to control and then stab past Orman from 8-yards.
The game was nip and tuck after this but gradually London City began to look dangerous. On 33 minutes they almost equalised. Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah’s excellent low right wing cross being met by Lotta Lindstrom 14 yards out but her stretched effort cannoned back off the bar.
The home side though were level on 36 minutes. Captain Kosovare Asllani driving forward and playing a delightful 1-2 with Lindstrom before finishing really well from 12 yards giving new United keeper Claudia Moan no chance.
United really should have retaken the lead on 42 minutes when following a Boddy corner Charlotte Potts saw her well hit shot on the turn brilliantly parried by Olman. The ball fell to Hayles only three yards from goal but she poked it wide of the target with the goa gaping.
Half-time and 1 – 1 felt just about right with everything to play for it had certainly been an intense physical battle in the first 45 minutes and that theme continued in the second half.
Both sides trying hard to break the other down but space in midfield to create was at a premium and defences were rock solid and on top throughout as time ticked by. On 77 minutes Boye-Hlorkah did open the United defence.
Her incisive pass send substitute Isobel Goodwin in on goal but Moan was in the right place to make a good save and smother the effort. On 81 minutes it was almost disaster for Wor Lasses as Deanna Cooper’s weak back pass saw Goodwin beat Moan to the loose ball.
Goodwin turned inside United’s keeper but Potts was in the right place at the right time to block Goodwin’s goal bound effort inside the six-yard box and keep the game level.
United’s final opportunity came on 86 minutes when the highly impressive Boddy who had probably been Newcastle’s best player on the day burst past two would be tackles in midfield before fizzing an excellent 22-yard shot from a central position inches over.
Despite six additional minutes neither side could find a winner and honours, goals and points were shared after a very committed entertaining game that in truth neither side deserved to lose and didn’t.
A footnote to the game was the crowd. 1,781 represented a new record league crowd for London City and I suspect that will not be the last time a home record league crowd will be achieved for a Club when NUFC Women are the visitors.
So, game day 1 is over and game day two will see Sheffield United, who lost their opening game 2 – 1 at Durham Cestria travel to Kingston Park on Sunday 22nd September for a 14:00pm kick-off. A huge crowd is expected for a much anticipated fixture.
