West Women made it five wins on the bounce as the defeated Stockport County Blues to extend their 100% start to the season.
Manager Paul Caddick made four changes from the following weeks FA Cup win against Tingley Athletic as Katy Wilman was handed her full debut whilst there were starts for Claire Jefferson, Hannah Mitchell and Amy Vyas. In addition, there were welcome returns to the squad for Amy Friel and Orla Conlon.
Despite the pitches narrow dimensions West started on the front foot as Jami Hodges found some space on the left but fired her shot into the goalkeeper’s hands after just two minutes. West dominated the early exchanges as Wilman headed wide at the far post from an Ellie Caddick corner on 14 minutes. West went closer again on 16 minutes when Amy Vyas rattled the crossbar from the edge of the area for the second straight week.
Hodges then combined with Chloe Spencer whose crossed found Sophie Bracegirdle but her effort was just wide. It was a only a temporary respite for the home side as Bracegirlde slot through Caddick down the right on the overlap and her cross found Rachael Dunlop who rolled her effort into the bottom corner to give West a deserved lead on 32 minutes. West went close again when another corner found Wilman at the far post but her header was cleared off the line.
West almost doubled their lead on the stroke of half time as Bracegirdle saw her effort come off the foot of the post to restrict West’s half time lead to one. However, it was a mere delay as West did score three minutes after the restart as Ellie Caddick’s cross was turned into the far corner by Katy Wilman; her first goal for the club.
The third came from the penalty spot on 59 minutes as Dunlop was upended in the corner of the penalty area. Despite extended protestations from the home side, including a sit in protest, Shauna Edmondson calmly stroked the ball past the County goalkeeper Imogen Elbolen.
West made wholesale changes from the bench, but they didn’t relent as Chloe Spencer made it four when she turned home Ellie Caddick’s corner, firing in off the inside of the post on 68 minutes. Having scored in each of her previous three appearances Spencer then made it five in four as she was played in down the left by Dunlop and the West number 8 saw her effort squeeze inside the near post.
Stockport blotted West’s copy book with a rare attack six minutes from time when a long ball down the middle of the field didn’t quite carry to Claire Jefferson and Helen Molloy was able to head over the West goalkeeper.
The win see’s West fifth, six points behind leaders Altrincham with two games in hand. The win extends West’s 100% record to five games for the season having scored 33 goals in the process.
