A late equaliser from substitute Leigh McFadyen earned West Women a 1-1 draw in their latest pre-season game at home to Stockport County.

With 11 players missing Manager Paul Caddick was boosted by the timely returns of Amy Friel and both Jo and Lyndsey Turner into the defence.

West started brightly and should have led inside the opening seconds of the game when Stockport were dispossessed from their own kick off through Chaneece Reeves but she fired into the hands of the Stockport goalkeeper Fran Singleton.

Two minutes later Jami Hodges broke down the left hand side finding Reeves with a pinpoint cross but the West forward could only force Singleton into a superb save.  Reeves continued to be at the centre of the action as she was put through again by Captain Shauna Edmondson but she fired over the bar from the edge of the area.

West continued to dominate and on 16 minutes Hodges did brilliantly to round the Stockport full back and pulling a low cross back to Reeves who saw her initial effort blocked before Edmondson fired over the rebound. A minute later West went down the right and Ellie Caddick saw her shot from the narrowest of angles cannon off the outside of the near post.

West continued to search for the opening goal and came close on 34 minutes when a goal mouth scramble from a Caddick corner saw no less than six efforts blocked before Singleton gratefully dived on the ball. West came close twice more before the break as Elizabeth Livesey curled an effort just wide of the post from the edge of the area before Reeves burst down the wing finding Livesey with a terrific cross but her effort bounced wide of the post.

The second half saw the visiting team quicker out of the blocks and forced goalkeeper Claire Jefferson into a terrific save when the County forward rolled off her marker and fired a hard low effort to the West goalkeepers left. Somehow was driven wide of an empty net as West were given a brief reprieve.  The opening goal came on 51 minutes as West conceded a free kick inside their own half which was flicked on inside the penalty area and turned home under Jefferson by Liv Gannon.

From the restart West almost levelled as Anna Carson-Parker picked out Reeves with a superb pass, the forward played in Livesey with a low cross but she fired wide of the post.  It was all West again and Livesey again saw another effort deflected wide of the post just after the hour mark.

West rang the changes as Demi Noon flicked a ball on into the path of Reeves but she also saw her effort deflected wide of the post. Edmondson picked out Livesey again with a terrific through pass but Singleton was again on hand to deny the West striker.

Substitutes Leigh McFadyen and Demi Noon combined twice to create an opening but neither was able to hit the target.  The breakthrough came 10 minutes from time when Noon took a touch played it into Reeves who slotted in McFadyen and she drilled a hard effort between the goalkeepers legs to give West a deserved equaliser.

West couldn’t find a winner as the last few moments were overshadowed by an impact injury to Lyndsey Turner who was luckily able to walk off the field a few minutes after full time. Despite the result, it was an important performance in the build-up for the season ahead.