With the go-ahead just an hour earlier due to fears of a waterlogged pitch, the U’s women comfortably sealed their fourteenth successive league win of the season.
Vinton’s five goals were accompanied by a brace from Cahill and singles from Ager, Greenleaf, C Craddock-Ball and J Craddock-Ball to secure a comfortable win over Great Danes Women First at their Brentwood home ground.
The first motion of play from the opening whistle delivered a shot on goal that narrowly missed its target, hinting at what the game was likely to deliver. The home ‘keeper was alert at all times, fending off a succession of attacks from Vinton and Morgan, who between them played some outstanding one-two through balls on the left wing for some time.
Jenkins also had a lot of action on the right wing, herself sending in a shot-come-cross in the sixth, the ball glancing off the bar.
Vinton’s hard work was rewarded in the eighth when the ball fell to her following Greenleaf being brought down in the box, her shot glancing off a defender on its way through to go in off the far post.
But for a handful of short-lived breaks past the halfway line which were quickly ruled out by the U’s back line, play rested largely with the dominant forces of Greenleaf, Vinton, Morgan and Jenkins. The linesman’s flag was the only thing denying a number of exquisite motions of play from the four, who showed great chemistry between them.
The eighteenth minute saw the scoreline double, courtesy of another Vinton finish, this time set up by a perfectly-weighted through-ball from left back Farrow.
A third goal arrived for the U’s just three minutes later, another deflection for Vinton to send the ball past the ‘keeper’s outstretched arm.
An unfortunate handball in the home team’s box prevented a likely goal, leaving the referee no choice but to award a penalty in the twenty-seventh, C Craddock-Ball comfortably sending the ball home and taking the lead to four-nil.
Morgan squared a low ball to substitute Ager in the thirty-second, allowing her to send a rocket into the net.
As the fortieth minute approached, Cahill was gifted with a simple tap-in following a rebound off the ‘keeper, whose incredible work between the sticks had prevented the score being in double figures by half-time.
It took two minutes for the second half’s goals to appear, Cahill again cashing in on a deflected shot.
The fifty-ninth minute saw fantastic work between Ager and Adams bringing the ball from deep in the U’s half, supplying Vinton with a shot to seal the match’s eighth goal.
Vinton was again in the right place six minutes later following a well-timed through ball from Morgan, clinching the goal after wrong-footing the ‘keeper.
Greenleaf found herself on the scoresheet in the seventy-eighth, outpacing two defenders and beating the keeper to a superb Jenkins supply.
With the closing minutes drawing nearer, J Craddock-Ball delivered one of her signature out-of-the-box shots from forty yards, earning the U’s their final and eleventh goal of the match.
With the home team intensifying their attacks down the middle of the pitch, their efforts were finally rewarded in added time with a break on goal and a finish to get past substitute ‘keeper Clark.
The second half saw more near-finishes than any other match this season, with a total of five attempts being denied by the woodwork and outstanding saves from the home keeper. The performance from all players bodes well for next week’s league cup match at The Garrison to Premier Division Stanway Rovers Ladies First.
Colchester United Women starting XI: Adams, C Craddock-Ball, Devall, Farrow, Gamble, Greenleaf, Howlett, Jenkins, L Morgan, Pope, Vinton
Subs: Ager, Cahill, Clark, J Craddock-Ball, J Morgan
Player of the Match: C Craddock-Ball
