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FC United women hit eight in final warm up against Burnley

FC United women hit eight in final warm up against Burnley

FC United’s women’s team romped to an 8-3 victory against Burnley in a robust final pre-season friendly.

A week on from their 4-3 training match victory over Curzon Ashton, Crumpsall’s Abraham Moss Centre once again played host to a 40 minute each way ‘friendly’ encounter.

Burnley LFC, playing a league higher than FC United’s women, were the visitors in the Reds’ final warm up game prior to their season opener against AFC Oldham on 8th September.

After a blistering first half FC United lead the East Lancashire side 6-0 with a hatrick from Kirsty Chambers supplemented by strikes from Shellby Wolstencroft, Jade Parker and a Burnley own goal. The second half was much tighter and FC added two more to their tally as Parker grabbed her second and Lizzie Evans fired her first for the club. Burnley grabbed three goals of their own second half to make the final score 8-3 to FC United in front of 35 spectators.

FC kicked off but it was Burnley who settled the quickest pressing forward with little end product in the opening stages. United responded and five minutes in a Chambers corner was worked to Beth Tattersall on the edge of the Burnley box; the resultant shot destined for the keepers grasp until a defender inexplicably diverted the ball past her stranded custodian for the opening goal.

Spurred on by the set back Burnley went in search of an equaliser and on eleven minutes had the ball in the FC net with Mary Priestner beaten at close range only for referee Taiwo Opesan to rule offside. The margins at any level of football are so slight at times as FC ruthlessly rampaged forward straight from the disallowed goal for Chambers to double the lead on 12 minutes after her initial drive was parried back into her path by the keeper who had no chance of saving the follow up.

Before a disappointed Burnley could react, Chambers had her second and FC’s third just before the quarter hour in arguably the best move of the match. Wolstencroft collected well in midfield and cleverly nicked the ball wide to Beth Tattersall who raided at pace down the right flank and into the area having the presence to square the ball superbly to the unmarked Chambers whose fierce drive was certainly goal bound despite the slight deflection it took on the way into the bottom corner.

Wolstencroft had her reward for endeavour collecting the ball beyond the far post to place into the opposite corner of Burnley’s net for a 4-0 lead inside 20 minutes and after a ten minute passage of play where both sides had chances, United had their fifth just past the half hour as Chambers rounded off her hatrick robbing a defender on the left edge of the box then firing past the keeper into the opposite corner.

On the stroke of half time Parker, for large passages of the first half being the orchestrator of many of FC’s best moves in her roving midfield role, had her just rewards profiting from a Chambers corner to the far post where she was well positioned to side foot volley home from close range.

Burnley got the second half underway looking for a quick way back into the game and made the perfect start scoring within a minute after Priestner had parried a strong Burnley shot unfortunately into the path of their No9 who drove home from close range.

The visitors could not maintain the impetus and the settled back four of Amy Battel, Fran Davies, Chelsea Patient and Gail Pennington in front of Priestner were the equal of anything Burnley could offer up front for most of the game.

United restored their six goal cushion on 47 minutes as Lizzie Evans profited from Tattersall’s excellent run and shot from the right that the keeper could only parry into the path of Evans to fire in her first goal for the Reds with the keeper stranded.

Parker was once again pulling the strings across midfield and just before the hour she lofted a superb 35 yard shot over the keeper and into the top corner to give FC an unassailable 8-1 lead. No one mentioned this to Burnley whose endeavour went right to the final whistle and they were rewarded with two consolation strikes on 60 and 63 minutes; their last being a well struck penalty following an adjudged hand ball. Chambers and Charlie Evans went close in the closing minutes for FC but the score remained 8-3 to the reds as the ref signalled the end of a very useful workout for both squads.

Report by Rob Fullen

Teams 28th August 2013: Attendance: 35

FC United of Manchester Women: 8(6)
1. Mary Priestner (Goalkeeper)
2. Amy Battel (right back)
4. Gail Pennington (left back)
18. Fran Davies (centre half)
16. Chelsea Patient (centre half)
7. Beth Hayes (centre midfield)
9. Jade Parker (centre midfield and 2 goals 40, 67mins)
8. Adora Yau (centre midfield)
10. Beth Tattersall (right midfield)
11. Kirsty Chambers (left midfield, 3 goals 12, 14, 31mins and Captain)
17. Shellby Wolstencroft (centre forward and 1 goal, 19mins)

Subs:
5. Kaya Janny (for No9 30mins)
6. Tasha Rowe (for No7 56mins)
12. Charlie Evans (for No10 57mins)
14. Hannah White (for No8 50mins)
15. Lizzie Evans (for No17 41mins and goal 47mins)

Roll on Roll off changes:
No9 on for No5 37mins
No10 on for No11 80 +1mins

Burnley LFC 3 (0)

No team information available.



First Posted ~ 13:30 Fri 30 Aug 2013
News ID ~ 5052
Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021