MATCH REPORT

SUTTON TAME LEAGUE LEADERS! Long Sutton Ladies 1sts came to this game needing to win and came away very much deserving the win. This fixture had added significance since Sutton did not have a fixture last week but the pack around them in league position did, and all had good outcomes to send Sutton down three places to mid table and before facing the leader of the pack St Neots. The game was fast and skillful and it needed a finish of the highest quality from Charlee Leuty seven minutes from time to settle it. Sutton Ladies started well and edged the first eight minutes before St Neots earned a short corner which was fired narrowly wide. On ten minutes Sutton keeper Lorraine Wallis had to be smart with her right boot to clear a fierce strike. On 13 minutes Emmie Gittins linked well with Leanne Woodhead to earn Sutton a short corner, from the short Woodhead fired low and hard to the keepers right, but the St Neots keeper at full stretch pulled off a fine save, to deflect the goal bound effort round the post. Wallis was quickly called on again to boot clear and then bravely took a knock in going to ground among flying sticks to clear the dangerous rebound. On 23 minutes Sutton came close to opening the score following great movement from Connie Gittins who found Woodhead, Woodhead then flicked Gittins smart pass into the path of Lyn Tancred who did well to return the ball across goal, for Woodhead to desperately lunge full length trying to steer the ball into goal - but regrettably the effort was scrambled away by the St Neots keeper and the danger finally cleared by a defender. Soon after Gemma Parr put Woodhead through again, but the effort was fired just wide. Louise Southgate, Leuty and Leah Goodley were working with high energy and tempo across midfield disrupting St Neots build up play.. The defensive line of Jo Bland, Tania White, Lisa Baker and Lauren Cooper were rock solid. and faultless throughout the first half. ensuring the game turned round nil nil. Sutton started the second half well but the end to end exchanges were beginning to show more positively for St Neots who were linking well from midfield feeding long balls to their pacy forwards - but again the Sutton defence looked unbreakable despite St Neots having a dominant 15 minutes. Parr at the head of defence coped well and Bland was on hand and accurate to keep play fluent for Sutton. Baker and Cooper finding the confidence to overlap well down right and left. 20 minutes into the second half Sutton won another short corner. Woodhead again striking fiercely but to be denied by a good block from the on form St Neots keeper. Both sides looked like they could produce a necessary magic move to unlock the score, and it was Sutton who managed it. Leuty was linking well with Goodley both increasingly creating havoc! running at the St Neots defence. In the end it was Leuty with seven minutes to go who created something extra special. Running hard at the heart of the St Neots defence, Leuty had the speed and strength to reach the edge of the D and when just inside fired a beautiful well placed shot which hammered the back board just inside the St Neots keepers right hand post. It had to be good to beat the full stretched keeper and from Leuty it was! the perfect match winner!! Sutton kept pressing hard rather than sitting back to defend the lead, and thus played out time without incident, to ensure the three well earned and vital points stayed safe. Player of the match for Sutton could have been awarded for a team performance - but in a performance of near equals, Jo Bland was immaculate, but the match winner was the deserving player off the match for her outstanding contribution throughout and for providing the match winning goal - Charlee Leuty.