It was job done on Easter Sunday as a much changed West side visited bottom club City of Liverpool and came away with a comfortable 6-0 win.
West were without goalkeeper Claire Jefferson, influential midfielder Vicky Kerr, striker Sarah Penney and the injured Lauren O’Neill as Manager Paul Caddick handed a full debut to goalkeeper Katherine Ormerod whilst there was a return to the starting line-up for Lyndsey Turner and Nat Callaghan.
With 24 points separating the two teams, the visitors started on the front foot and it took just five minutes to register the first goal when Ellie Caddick’s corner was headed home by Lyndsey Turner for her second goal of the season.
It should have been two seconds later as Chaneece Reeves put Sophie Bracegirdle through one-on-one, but with time and space she could only curl her effort over the bar. Reeves continued to create as she released Leigh McFadyen through after 20 minutes but she could only fire her effort into the grateful keeper’s hands.
The chances continued to fall as Shauna Edmondson fired wide from 25 yards before Bracegirdle almost made amends volleying wide from another Caddick corner. West continued to threaten as Nat Callaghan saw an effort saved from Lyndsey Turner volleyed against the crossbar from a terrific Caddick corner.
It took until just after the half hour mark for West to double their lead and it came from a superb individual goal from Emily Croasdale. The West midfielder did well to bring down a cleared ball, before holding off her marker, beating two players and slotting under the Liverpool goalkeeper.
The floodgates opened and seconds later it was 3-0 as Jami Hodges burst down the left, racing into the box pulling the ball back to Bracegirdle at the far post who tapped into the goal. From the kick off Bracegirdle turned provider as she found Reeves in the penalty area who slotted home to make it 4-0 and score-line that far from flattered West at the break.
West picked up where they left off in the second half as Caddick against went close bending a free kick just wide on 49 minutes. McFadyen forced another save from the Liverpool goalkeeper as she saw her near post header palmed away. On the hour mark it should have been five as Reeves played in Lyndsey Turner, but again with time and space the West midfielder fired over from the edge of the area.
The games controversial moment came with 20 minutes remaining as Caddick pulled a corner back to Reeves 20 yards from goal with the West number 8 curling a superb effort into the top corner only for the referee to rule it out for offside.
Reeves would see a second effort ruled out for offside as did well to hold off the Liverpool goalkeeper, reaching a loose ball in the penalty area, flicking it over her own head and into the goal only for West sub Amy Friel to apply the final touch from an offside position.
Friel made amends nine minutes from time when she perfectly broke the offside trap on the end of Lyndsey Turner’s through-ball before slotting home to make it 5-0. Sub Leanne Joyce made it 6-0 with a bullet header from point blank range and should have made 7-0 with the last kick off the game but she fired over clean through on goal.
Team: Ormerod, Caddick, Edmondson, J.Turner, Bracegirdle, Hodges, Croasdale, Kerr, Reeves, Callaghan, McFadyen.
Subs: Friel, Joyce, Hartley, McWalter.
Goalscorers: L.Turner, Croasdale, Bracegirdle, Reeves, Friel, Joyce.
Attendance: 40
