A tough afternoon at Cyncoed Campus for Saints Women

Match Report

Goals: Ridge (8)
Substitutions: Edge for Shirley (40), Evans for Barlow (54), B.Lewis for Manders (70)

Match report by Michael Davies

The New Saints Women started off phase two in the Genero Adran Premier with a 4-1 loss against Cardiff Met at Cyncoed Campus.

It was The New Saints that made the brighter start, as Emily Ridge found the back of the net, before Esme Kilburn-Thompson scored a hat-trick, with Met’s other goal coming from Molly Chapman.

Defeat means The Saints now lead the Adran Premier Plate by just a point following a 1-1 draw between Barry Town United and Pontypridd United at Jenner Park. 

The New Saints made a quick start to the encounter by taking the lead in the 8th minute of the game, where Chantelle Teare played a pass across the box to Emily Ridge, who slotted it past Daisy Farrow’s bottom-left corner from a few yards out.

Another attack soon came around for The Saints, as Teare played a ball pack to Shirley, with the ball struck from just inside the box, but wide of the net.

Before the half-hour mark, Cardiff Met had their first attempt on target. Emily Bayliss whipped a corner into the box that found the skipper, Tiggeraa Webb, who had a header from close range that Ellie Suckley stopped.

In the 41st minute, Suckley made another save to this time deny former Swansea City player, Nieve Jenkins, as the number ten had a powerful effort from inside the box.

An equaliser came moments on for the Archers, with Sophie Davidson having a long-range effort that was magnificently palmed onto the crossbar by Suckley, but Esme Kilburn-Thompson netted on the rebound from not far out.

Just before the break, the Students took the lead in almost a replica of how the first went in. Kilburn-Thompson struck the ball from inside the box, and Molly Chapman scored on the follow-up from point-blank range.

At the start of the second 45, Met continued to attack, as Samantha Dziminowicz had a header for the hosts from inside the 18-yard-area that Suckley managed to stop.

Not long later, Kilburn-Thompson hit the ball on the edge of the box, but once again, Suckley was there to stop the effort.

A third came for Met in the 53rd minute, as Kilburn-Thompson netted from a short distance away into Suckley’s bottom-left corner.

In the 69th minute, Emily Bayliss wasn’t far off getting a fourth for Daniel Delayhey’s team, with an effort from outside the box striking narrowly wide.

Met got a fourth with not too long to go in the encounter in the 77th minute, as Chapman had an effort from distance that hit the crossbar, before a scramble in the box led to Kilburn-Thompson scoring for her hat-trick on the goal-line.

In the 83rd minute, the Oswestry-based team almost got one back through a Teare shot inside the box that clattered the bar. 

It turned out to be the last effort of the game, with TNS leaving Cyncoed Campus without a point to start phase two.

TNS are next in action away at Jenner Park against Barry Town United in the Plate on Sunday, March 17th.