Leeds Women Secure a Routine Victory Away at Durham Cestria
Image Credit - Eddie Moxon
On a cold remembrance Sunday, Leeds United travelled to the J. Denham Metals Stadium in Shildon to face a resurgent Durham Cestria side. Durham struggled at the start of the season, failing to win until the end of September where they came out top in a tight 2-1 win over York. Since then, though, they are unbeaten in the league and have climbed to 7th in the table. Leeds remain unbeaten in all competitions and sit comfortably at the top of the table, 4 points clear of second-place Halifax. Durham have not been able to win in any of their last four matches against Leeds, with 2 draws and 2 wins. Durham will hope to change this and maintain their unbeaten streak in the league.
Match Report:
Leeds made three changes from the side that easily dispatched Rotherham last weekend. Monique Watson and Alice Hughes replaced Kath Smith and Abi Coley in midfield and, following an injury last week, Drew Greene dropped to the bench to be replaced by Brittany Sanderson.
Durham started fast and managed to win an early corner, the cross found Mia Gibbon but her header deflected wide of the post. Leeds countered quickly and with strong play from Watson she was able to find Ella Harris on the wing. Her cross into the box was not cleared properly and fell at the feet of Sanderson who drove the shot through the crowd to find the bottom corner – Leeds had a deserved advantage after just 3 minutes.
This early opener spurred Leeds on as they continued to put pressure on the Durham goal: Darcie Greene’s effort was saved before Woodruff saw her chipped shot go over the bar. It was not all bad for Durham who were able to threaten Leeds from set-pieces, hitting the crossbar from a corner. Leeds were thankful to still be ahead as Lleucu Mathias could not put in the rebound.
After 30 minutes, a free kick on the half-way line allowed Sanderson to deliver a long ball into the box. She found Amy Woodruff whose header struck the post. Fortunately, the rebound fell to Darcie Greene who fired the ball into the net past a scrambling Durham keeper.
The first half ended with Leeds having a strong 2 goal advantage.
The second-half struggled to get started, with neither side being able to control possession. But in the 55th minute Durham managed to get a shot at goal from the edge of the box which was easily saved by Holly Mears. Watson almost made it three for Leeds, but her powerful shot from within the 6-yard box was incredibly saved by the Durham keeper.
Leeds continued to put pressure on the Durham goal but, despite a number of inviting crosses, were unable to increase their advantage. The match came to a close with Leeds taking all three points in County Durham.
Leeds were able to hold onto their two goal advantage to remain at the top of the table. Next up for the Whites is an FA Cup Second Round fixture at home to Norton & Stockton Ancients. The Ancients will be aiming for a first ever appearance in the third round, but Leeds will prove stubborn opponents. The two faced each other just a few weeks ago where Leeds performed poorly but managed a 2-0 victory. Leeds will hope for a similar result to reach the third round of the WFA cup for the second year in a row.
Words, Images and Graphics by Eddie Moxon