Enfield Town 2 MK Dons 0

ENFIELD TOWN LADIES F.C.
SOUTH EAST COMBINATION
LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL
SUNDAY 25/03/2012

Enfield Town Ladies booked their place in the league cup final where they will play Cambridge Women with a 2-0 semi-final victory over MK Dons. Regan Coleman in the first half and Sara Sinclair in the second scored the goals. Manager John Abbott said, “It’s been a very good season and we are going to end it on a cup final but Mk Dons made us work for it. I want us to have something to for all our hard work and the league cup plus runners up in the league will be reward for the girls. We just need to finish the last 4 games as we have played the majority of the season.” The league cup final between Enfield Town and Cambridge women will take place 29th April at Arelesy Town FC.

Enfield were given an early chance when Sara Sinclair was fouled in the second minute but Beth Demery put the resulting free kick just over the bar from about 25 yards out. Charlotte Wright Elizabeth Stanton on but the Dons forward shot wide. Kelly Herrett headed a long ball back to Kelly Cooper but a Dons forward was still chasing on but Cooper calmly chested the ball down and side stepped the challenge outside the area and cleared it. Lauren Goodier took the ball into the area and Herrett waited for the right moment to nick the ball away from the forward. A defender put the ball out for a corner after Cally Browne had tried to feed Sinclair and from the corner Browne hit a shot through a crowd of players and although Emma Kirby couldn’t hold onto it a defender cleared as Sheree Oliver stretched for the loose ball.

Sinclair helped a cross by Claire Pavett on and over the bar. Cooper pawed a header by Wright off the line while crowded by players of both sides at a corner. Christie Turner missed a free header in the centre at another Dons corner. A tussle between Herrett and Danielle Borrelli ended with the forward tumbling as Herrett pulled her and the referee pointed to the penalty spot but after consultation with his assistant he amended it to a free kick just outside the area. Goodier saw her free kick bounce off the bar and over. A mix up in defence allowed Stanton a chance to run on into the area but Cooper smothered the ball. Kirby and a Dons defender got into a muddle as a high ball dropped to them and Sinclair nicked the ball and rolled it back to Oliver who shot narrowly wide of the empty net from 30 yards out.

Goodier and Cooper both misjudged a long ball allowing Herrett to tidy up behind the keeper. Sinclair turned and fired wide and then Sinclair ran into a Don as two good chances went begging before Leanne Mabey passed to Sinclair who then passed to Regan Coleman who hit the ball against Kirby and got lucky as the ball broke back to her behind the keeper, Coleman hit the ball goal wards and although a defender managed to head the ball onto the bar it still dropped over the line. 1-0 (43 min)

Enfield won a free kick in the early stages of the second half and Demery saw her kick go just over the heads of Claire Gooch and Sinclair in the middle. Enfield failed to clear a corner and were fortunate to see Turner fire over. Turner played a ball on and Goodier swept it on forcing Cooper into a full length diving save. A ball into the area saw Gooch putting it behind for a corner but a very late challenge by a Dons forward left Gooch in a heap and a free kick to the home side. Jo Brandon had a free header at a Dons corner but put it over the bar. Sub Bilge Taspinar kept the ball in in the corner and laid it back to Mabey and she passed to Pavett who forced Kirby to stretch for the ball at the far post on the line. Taspinar slipped the ball to Mabey who thundered a shot off the bar, Beth Lovell followed it in and hit the keeper with a shot and Taspinar was crowded out as she tried to force the loose ball home.

Kirby did well to take a low Sinclair cross under pressure from Taspinar with Pavett waiting to clear up behind them. Mabey won the ball and passed to Kelly Hughes and Hughes’ cross was given up as going wide by Kirby and her defence but Oliver had other ideas and stretched to keep it in and then picked out the unmarked Sinclair almost on the line behind Kirby and Sinclair had the simplest task of tapping home. 2-0 (78 min)

A Sinclair cross was cleared to Mabey and she fired back through the crowd, if the shot had been a foot either way she would have scored but the ball thumped into the grateful arms of a surprised Kirby. With Dons now looking tired Sinclair went down the right and cut in before firing straight to Kirby with Taspinar and Holly Brandon waiting unmarked for the ball to be played back to them.

Enfield Town M.O.M. was Leanne Mabey with a usual 90 minutes of all action play.

Enfield Town Team: Cooper, Demery, Pavett (Brandon), Herrett, Gooch ©, Browne (Hughes), Oliver, Lovell, Mabey, Coleman (Taspinar), Sinclair.

MK Dons Team; Kirby, Betts, Robinson, Brandon, Turner, McDonnell ©, Tarrant, Wright, Goodier, Stanton, Borrelli. Used sub; Steward. Unused sub; Tanare.

Next Sunday Enfield Town travel to play 3rd place Norwich City as the battle for runners up position continues. Enfield Town won the return game 1-0 before Christmas.

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Michael Bunyan
Enfield Town Ladies
Press Officer

Updated: 26/03/2012 09:01