Oxford United Women extended their post-season friendly winning streak this afternoon with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion Women, thanks to a first-half goal from Carly Johns.
Some cagey opening exchanges at Court Place Farm saw United match their Women’s National League Northern Premier Division opponents and Brittany Jeal’s industrious efforts in the opening quarter made the midfielder look like The U’s most dangerous attacking outlet early on
United continued to energetically press West Brom high up the pitch throughout the game and on 26 minutes Johns latched on to a loose ball being played along the visiting defence before calmly slotting the ball beyond the grasp of Bastock to continue her impressive form of late.
Liam Gilbert’s side didn’t rest on their laurels for the second half either; a sustained period of pressure in West Brom’s half and a succession of corners put United in the driving seat.
However, the visitors grew into the contest as the game drew on, substitute goalkeeper Paris Sercombe and her defence having to deal with West Brom’s biggest chance of the game so far on 85 minutes when a shot from the visitors was skied over the bar
West Brom piled on the pressure in search of that elusive equaliser in the dying seconds of the contest, this time driving a dangerous low cross across the face of goal. However, none of the opposition attackers were able to latch onto the golden opportunity and as a result United's winning post-season friendly streak continues
United:
Kite (Sercombe), Wallace (Hayes), Sims, Mackenzie, Baker, Haynes, Stevens (Brown), Jeal (Moore), Allen, Johns (Williams), McLachlan
Report by Jacob Gill & photo by Darrell Fisher