Vital Win For Knowle Ladies to Kick Off a Busy December

It’s been a season of near misses for Knowle Ladies in the league so far, but last Sunday finally saw them pick up the points they felt their performance had deserved, with a hard fought 1-2 win away at Shrewsbury Town. A superb first half showing put them in front then they showed their mettle in the second period to keep their opponents at bay and collect the three points.

Perfect weather conditions and the 3G surface allowed both teams to play good football throughout the game; all though Knowle nearly shot themselves in the foot in the first thirty seconds of the game when a poor pass in defence sent a Town forward clear in the box. Knowle had to rely on Sam Smith getting across to cover and make the block. The Robins soon settled after this early scare and began to play some tidy passages. The majority of the opening stages were played out in midfield, with Trina Greaves and Kate Fleming instrumental is winning possession and then launching Robins’ attacks.

The first big chance of the game fell to Nellie Severin; Greaves found her out in space on the right side and Severin burst past the full back but couldn’t get any power behind her shot in order to beat the Town keeper. Knowle then did go ahead in the 17th minute when Katie Atter set the ball back to Morgan Betteridge to send in a deep cross. Jess Barlow controlled the ball well, then flicked it round the corner to Natalie Gibson, who fired her shot low into the corner of the net. Greaves was then inches away from connecting with a Gibson free kick on the far post for a tap in.

The Knowle backline were marshalling their opponents well so Shrewsbury found it difficult to create any clear-cut opportunities. One period of frantic pinball on the right side of the penalty box did cause consternation, but Maz Byrne rose high to clear the resulting corner well. The Shrewsbury keeper had to be quick off her line to stop the Knowle counter-attack, and repeated the trick soon after to steal the ball from Barlow’s toes.

A Town midfielder then went in the book for two late challenges on Smith and Molly Hughes. Those free kicks came to nothing, but when Severin was hacked down from behind 30 yards from goal after another mazy run, the ball was firmly in Gibson’s territory. She bent a super free kick beyond the reach of the keeper for her and Knowle’s second of the game.



Shrewsbury attempted to push forward more in the final ten minutes of the half, but Jess Jenkinson in the Knowle goal showed great reading of the game to leave her box and kick clear two long balls, as well as mopping up a dangerously short back pass that looked as though it would send the Shrews forward clean through. Knowle therefore felt well worth their 0-2 halftime lead.

The home side clearly had a stern talking to during the break and came out determined to get a hold on the game. Knowle managed things really well in those early stages, keeping the ball high up the pitch on the right side and taking the sting out of proceedings. Indeed, they should have extended their lead when Atter found Gibson’s feet and she rolled the ball through to Severin racing past the backline but the Shrewsbury keeper came out well to smoother her shot.

Town made a triple change on the hour mark and the substitutes did have a positive effect, causing some more issues for Knowle’s defence. The away side stayed strong however, and when the goal did come it was seemingly out of nowhere. A deep cross was thrown into the box and looked as though Jenkinson would claim, but she was unable to hold onto it and the striker tapped in the loose ball.

Knowle didn’t let this deter them and came very close to restoring their two goal lead within minutes of the restart. Severin beat the full back again then squared to Gibson but she missed the chance to notch her hattrick when she failed to get a good connection and the ball went flying harmlessly across goal. Greaves then sent two shots wide after finding space on the edge of the penalty area.

It was the away side’s turn to appear in the referee’s notebook when Betteridge and Byrne were both booked for tackles in the same passage of play, but Gibson cleared the resulting free kick easily. Sub Nadia Bacciochi was also provided more energy down the Knowle right to help her defence out, but as Knowle tired, the final ten minutes saw Shrewsbury create probably the best chances they had all game. Firstly, a corner had to be scuffed clear by Hughes on the line at the back post, before a good cut back saw the Town striker shoot straight into Jenkinson’s hands. In stoppage time, the Shrewsbury striker raced onto a long ball and although she lifted her finish over the onrushing Jenkinson, it bounced wide of the post.

The referee finally blew for full time to cue the Knowle celebrations for their 1-2 win, partially fuelled by relief of getting those all important three points on the board. A strong performance from the whole squad deserved the reward however, and the team will take confidence as they head into a month of away games.

Knowle: Jenkinson, Hughes, Smith, Byrne, Betteridge, Greaves, Fleming, Barlow, Atter, Severin (Bacciochi, 65), Gibson. Sub not used: Donnelly.