Chatham Town women battled past lowly London Seaward as they returned to the top of Division One South East in the National League with arguable the most comfortable 2-0 anyone could wish to see.
Just a couple of weeks after beating the same opposition in a League Cup competition by 8-0 a couple of weeks ago, after Ellie Jeffkins thumped the home side in front gloriously early on the home side hoped the goals would flow again! But although the home side dominated throughout, chances came and went, and although Seaward didn’t have a single shot on Simone Eligon’s goal, you always felt that until the second was scored, the points weren’t guaranteed until sub–Darcy Wells thumped home a Lucy Jones corner late on.
Whilst boss Keith Boanas will have been happy with the result, whether or not the performance will have pleased the boss is another question, but three points are three points and took the Chats back to the top of the table initially only for a few hours as the mornings leaders Real Bedford’s game with Norwich City (who incidentally are the Chats next League opponents) kicked off later on Sunday, and ended as a 1-1 draw.
The Chats began as they were to continue. Lottie Sharp was denied from an acute angle and from the resulting corner, Ellie Perkins had a header cleared off the line. Such was the early dominance of the home side that the Seaward keeper – the larger-than-life Baker – began time-wasting after less than 15 minutes – an act that the referee totally ignored in a far from satisfactory performance from the official.
Jeffkins powered home the stunning first after Sharp did really well down the left and as the ball fell to the midfielder, she crashed the ball into the top corner beyond the statuesque keeper.
There was an incredible scramble in the Seaward area from a corner which left the keeper flat on her back as the official again saw a foul very few did, and then Sharp was desperately unlucky as she fired a shot straight at the keeper.
After the break, the dominance more than continued – Oti Charles cross “kissed” the bar; Jeffkins crashed another drive a yard wide; the keeper made a good save to fingertip Sharp’s drive and from the corner, Charles headed into the side netting; Jeffkins was then denied by a very smart save; Sharp curled a stunning shot onto the left post with the keeper already heading to take a goal-kick and then Perkins flashed a header inches wide from a Jones free-kick.
Seaward’s keeper and talis-person Baker then went off after hurting her hand miss timing a punching a corner, and as she was replaced by the final substitute, Chats own sub Grace Laverick was unlucky with an effort that was cleared off the line and as Wells went to reach the rebound on the edge of the box, Wells was flattened in a challenge that could well have on another day been given as a penalty, but referee Squires simply wasn’t interested.
The long awaited second goal then finally arrived as Wells powered home Jones’ corner with a header that two keepers wouldn’t have kept out. The home side created more chances in the short time that remained – the best of which from when the Woodgate twins combined as Maddy played the ball into Amelia, who’s shot on the turn was terrific, with the only thing disappointing was that it was straight at the replacement keeper Roberts.
CHATHAM TOWN WOMEN – Eligon, Maslak, Jones, Coombs, Perkins, Auguste (Wells), Jeffkins (Parker), Hynes, Charles (Amelia Woodgate), King (Maddy Woodgate), Sharp (Laverick)
LONDON SEAWARD WOMEN – Baker (Angier), El Mouden (Harris), South, Mayne, McKevitt, Malcolm, Tortorice, Cianter (Cannon) Rogers, O’Brian, Roberts (Davies)
Images courtesy of Allen Hollands