Colchester United Women continued their fine league form at the weekend with a comfortable 10-1 win over Hedinghams United to maintain their position at the top of the table.
Their second game of the year at The Garrison delivered another impressive performance, bagging ten goals against mid-table Hedinghams United Ladies First. A hat-trick from Greenleaf, braces from Vinton and Cahill, and three single goals from Ager, Jenkins and L Morgan sealed just over ninety minutes of confident, fluid teamwork.
It took four minutes for the first goal to appear, courtesy of a composed Vinton assist to a waiting Cahill.
Sixty seconds later, an explosive run from right-winger Vinton sent a carbon-copy supply to Greenleaf for a simple tap-in.
Impressive triangle passing and one-touch through-balls were the order of the first-half, midfield and front-line especially engaging in quality moves that visibly frustrated the visiting team.
The third goal at the eleven minute mark came from an L Morgan supply, setting up Greenleaf on the edge of the box to place her second goal of the match into the far top corner.
The fourteenth minute saw Vinton rewarded for her pace and superb assists after a cut-in from Ager delivered a ball into the box for Greenleaf. The ‘keeper could only parry for a waiting Vinton to seal the deal.
As the twenty minute mark drew closer, Vinton and L Morgan worked together on the wing to deliver another ball into the danger area for Cahill to finish a rocket that couldn’t be held by the ‘keeper.
In between the goals, spectators were treated to an exquisite display from the U’s, maintaining possession and moving the ball around the pitch confidently and waiting for gaps to open in the growing Hedinghams defensive line.
As the first half entered its final five minutes, a floated corner from Jenkins found a perfectly-timed header from Morgan, rising above a congested goal area to put the ball beyond the ‘keeper’s reach.
The second half brought with it a different pace from both teams, the U’s opting to hold play a little more in their own half and allow Howlett, Mowatt and sub J Morgan to relish some time on the ball. An increase in pressure from the visitors meant a few hurried passes began to happen among the back line until a gamble paid off for Hedinghams’ striker to intercept a square pass and send a curler past Devall into the far side netting.
A similar scenario played out a few minutes later which narrowly missed its target, enough to knock the U’s back into rhythm and turn the tide. Defender Farrow took up the centre midfield position and delivered quality diagonal balls to either wing, opening gaps in the visitors’ defence that were seen in the first half. A returned ball outside the box in the sixty-fourth fell to Farrow for a superb shot that required a save from the ‘keeper, but showed that the U’s were back firing on all cylinders and hungry for more goals.
Their efforts were rewarded three minutes later when Vinton cut inside of the right-back after a superb run up the wing, completing an angle-perfect shot ricocheting off the far post to give the U’s their seventh goal of the match.
Linkup play between Cahill and White delivered another strong attack in the seventieth minute, the ‘keeper again deploying outstanding reflexes to deny White getting on the scoresheet.
White again made a difference in the seventy-sixth using nice one-two passes with Jenkins on the left wing to open up space for Jenkins to send a gorgeous top-bins curler beyond the ‘keeper.
Heads failed to drop among the visitors though, with a right-wing attack occurring in the eighty-third minute. Incredible pace from Mowatt closed the twenty-yard gap and her subsequent clean slide tackle sent both players over, culling the potential for a second goal.
As the final whistle drew nearer, Ager worked hard on the left to deliver balls into the box. A denied shot fell to Greenleaf who managed to square the ball back for Ager to send the ball home inside the six yard box at ninety minutes.
With added time following a worrying ankle injury for a Hedinghams defender, Jenkins supplied Ager for another parried shot, only for it to fall invitingly for Greenleaf to secure her hat-trick and the U’s tenth goal of the match.
The win puts the U’s twelve points clear on the table. They next play away to Ingatestone’s Stones Ladies
Colchester United Women starting XI: Ager, Cahill, Devall, Farrow, Greenleaf, Howlett, Mowatt, L Morgan, Paton, Pope, Vinton
Subs: Adams, Jenkins, J Morgan, White
Player of the Match: Farrow