Yeovil Town Ladies lose out in League Cup group match (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Yeovil Town Ladies lose out in League Cup group match

7:00pm Wednesday 1st September 2010 in

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YEOVIL Town Ladies put in a valiant performance in their League Cup game with Premier League National Division side Reading, but in the end went down 2-0 in a highly competitive match.

The Glovers matched the Royals in all departments, and perhaps even deserved to get a point in this group game on Sunday, but in the end they had no answer to a first-half brace from Mikaela Howell.

Yeovil manager Steve Phelps said: "I thought that we played really well.

"We were playing a side that have just gone up into the National League, and who won their opening game last weekend to go second in that league.

"Playing them this week may have seemed daunting to some, but the girls took it in their stride and did really well."

Yeovil came into the game minus first choice goalkeeper Rachel Simkin, handing a debut to 16-year-old Lou Harrington, and she did well against a well organised Reading attack, who put Yeovil under some early pressure.

The Glovers soon played their way into attack, with Helen Bleazard seeing plenty of the ball on the right. Rachael Edwards was in outstanding form at the heart of the Glovers defence, and as much as she frustrated the opposition attack, she also got plenty of balls through to her own midfield.

Jemma Tewkesbury went close twice in the opening seven minutes, the second the result of some neat build up play from Bleazard and Laura Bray.

Reading were always the stronger side in that first half, and following a thumping chance for Mel Fletcher on 15 minutes, which brought the best out of Harrington in the Glovers goal, they took the lead on 18 minutes when Mikaela Howell weaved her way through the Yeovil defence to bury the ball from 18 yards.

Yeovil were still on their game, with Edwards and Kim Short continuing to battle in defence, and Laura Wensley seeing plenty of the ball in midfield, backed well by the industry of Stacey Pearson. Bray and Tewkesbury had further chances, but Yeovil were finding it hard to break through the last line of the Reading defence.

The Royals were still the better side, and doubled their lead on 27 minutes when Howell fired home a rocket from 25 yards that gave Harrington no chance.

"Reading probably had the better of the first period," Phelps admitted. "We contained them for most of the half, but they got two goals where we backed off and allowed them space to get the opportunity.

"It was a bit naive of us, but we generally did okay and had a number of chances to score ourselves, so could easily have gone in two a piece.

"The effort and work rate is getting better, the fitness and getting better, and so is our body strength. There are still times when we get shoved off the ball, but we are getting there.

"I thought in the second half we moved up to a different level and did really well, playing more like we did last year, keeping the ball on the floor and playing some good football. We had them pinned back for the first 25 minutes of the second half, put them under some pressure, and we had some clear cut chances to come back into the game."

The first of these chances came four minutes into the half when Bleazard went past three or four players on the right to cross to Bray at the near post to hit the ball inches wide.

Three minutes later Pearson laid the ball back to Rosie Williams, who was denied by the outstretched finger tips of the flame haired Michelle Beasley in the Royal's goal. The resulting corner saw Georgia Coles head just over the bar, and Bleazard went agonisingly close with a close range effort a minute later.

"I thought that we created some good chances to score, particularly in the closing stages, and could so easily have come away with a result," Phelps said.

"We have to be proud of that against a team from the National Division. I think that once we get used to the higher pace we will thrive at this new level."

As the game moved into the final 20 minutes Phelps made a number of changes, introducing Terri Trowbridge and Anusia Rourke to the play, with Sarah Lawler also coming on for the injured Rosie Williams.

The attack now seemed to have more bite, and with Bleazard still seeing plenty of the ball on the flank the Glovers finished the game strongly.

"Anusia is powerful and quick," Phelps said. "She made a lot of difference to our play, as did Terri.

"This is no disrespect to Laura Bray who in the end I took off. She was absolutely shattered because she had worked her socks off to the team. She was fantastic, but in the end we needed fresh legs, and bringing of Nush (Rourke) added a new element to the attack."

Bleazard went close on 73 minutes with a blistering shot from 18 yards, and three minutes later Wensley sent in a wonderful volley that parted the 'keeper's hair as it whistled inches over the bar, and on 77 minutes Rourke tested Beasley with a header from a Tewkesbury corner.

Rourke and Trowbridge were adding plenty of endeavour to the attack, and a number of chances were created, but it was the hard working Bleazard that set up the best when on 88 minutes she sent a lovely ball to Rourke just inside the box to power in a thundering shot that the goalkeeper did well to keep out.