An air of disappointment after Magpies draw with struggling Southampton Women

Photo credit: edubauerphotos

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There was an air of disappointment after the Magpies ‘home’ fixture with Southampton Women’s FC last Sunday afternoon as United came from behind to draw with the struggling visitors.

But their inability to force a deserved winner in their FA Women’s National League fixture at Burnham FC’s 1878 Stadium left the hosts feeling a little underwhelmed.

United started on the front foot and it seemed inevitable that they would get the opener. Twenty minutes in however, the away side went in front when Maidenhead conceded possession cheaply on the edge of the box and Megan Wood opened the scoring with a snapshot from range that Rosie Wilmott-Joyce in the home goal got two hands to but was beaten by the power.

The Magpies were level within two minutes. Jade Hockey floated in measured free-kick into the box, where the outstanding Freya Meadows-Tuson nodded the ball into the path of Izzy Stockton who nudged home her tenth goal of the season from close range. It was to be the seventh time this season in which the battling Magpies would come from behind to gain a positive result.

It should have been more than a solitary point, though. Macey-Nikiah Walters saw a shot palmed around the post by busy Sirens ‘skipper Sara Luce and the visiting ‘keeper was left in no-mans-land shortly afterwards when the young Magpies forward went around Luce but took the ball out of play before she could pull the ball back towards an unguarded net. Izzy Stockton was close to latching onto a bad back-pass as United pressured the visitors and the onslaught carried on into the second half.

Walters fired over as Maidenhead picked up where they left off and then Simone O’Brien picked up a loose pass and drove towards goal before – unusually for the Magpies top-scorer – firing wide when well-placed. There were loud penalty shouts when Meadows-Tuson carried the ball imperiously out of defence and fed O’Bren who saw her shot blocked and O’Brien shortly afterwards spun on the edge of the box and put her effort on the turn narrowly wide. In the closing stages substitute Gemma Luke shot into the side-netting with Luce once again committed and backpedalling towards her own goal and despite a lengthy period of injury time United could not get the second goal that they deserved.

The Magpies however found their shooting-boots in midweek. Ed Jackson-Norris made eight changes to the side which faced Southampton and United put Tier 6 side Abbey Rangers to the sword in the Combined Counties League Cup on Tuesday night. Maidenhead racked up a remarkable eleven goals in the first half and ran in a further five in the second period. The 16-0 victory is thought to be a record win for any Magpies team in a first team league or cup match for either women’s or men’s teams. Leading the way were Natalie Cowell and debutant Molly McKeever with four goals apiece, second half substitute RJ Jauad-Taborda netted twice in her first match for MUWFC and there were goals for Vicky Carvill, Gemma Luke, Sarah Thompson, Charlie Potter and Anne-Marie Pejcic along with an own goal by Abbey which opened the floodgates.