Dockers hold on to extend their winning start to the season

Newhaven Ladies 4 Steyning Town Women 3, London & South East Women’s Football League Division 1 South, Match #9

Newhaven Ladies extended their 100 per cent start to the season to nine games, but were made to work by a spirited Steyning side who caused them plenty of problems in the second-half.

With Steyning boasting just one win from their opening six games, the Dockers will have been fully confident of keeping their run going.

That confidence was in evidence in the early stages, with the Dockers seeming likely to score every time they poured forward.

Skipper Lauren Empringham was a particular thorn in the Steyning side; her pace and direct running causing the visitors plenty of problems early on.

Indeed, it was Empringham who opened the scoring, bursting down the left before placing an accurate shot into the bottom far corner.

Steyning had barely featured as an attacking threat to this point, but stunned the home faithful a few minutes later by drawing level. A speculative long-range effort from Amber Hazlewood proved too hot for the Newhaven defence to handle.

The goal didn’t really change the flow of the game, though, with the Dockers continuing to dominate and look threatening.

When Charlie Carter found the net with a thunderous strike from just outside the area to restore the Dockers lead midway through the half it came as no real surprise to anyone.

Just before the half-hour mark, the Dockers had a third. Steyning failed to deal with a corner and Lucy Collinson bundled the ball home to extend Newhaven’s lead.

A fourth followed soon after. Empringham was again the architect, her low cross being fired in at the far post by Collinson for her second of the afternoon.

At this point it looked like Newhaven would run riot. The hosts looked like scoring every single time they went forward and even missed a couple more presentable chances to extend their advantage before the interval.

At half-time it would have taken a brave person to bet on anything other than a comfortable Newhaven victory. 

And it is with this in mind why I am not a betting man.

A clear change in tactic from Steyning to go more direct in the second 45 really rattled the Dockers.

Shortly after half-time, Steyning reduced the deficit. Former Docker Georgia Collier, whose set-piece deliveries caused huge problems in the Newhaven defence throughout, forced a good save from Keira Lewin. From the resulting corner, another dangerous Collier delivery was headed in by Sophie Rose.

Newhaven were suddenly looking a little shaky defensively, while Steyning were working hard to stem the home side’s attacking threat.

With just over 20 minutes remaining, a long ball forward found the Newhaven defence flat-footed, and Ellie Hogan raced through before finishing calmly to get her side within a goal.

From looking utterly comfortable at half-time, Newhaven were suddenly in danger of seeing their 100 per cent start to the season ended. Something that no one would have seen coming after the first 45-minutes.

With Steyning pushing forward, Newhaven wasted a couple of clear opportunities to put the game to bed, but the visitors clung on in there and continued to try and unsettle the hosts with their direct play.

By the time the referee blew for full-time, the Dockers were hanging on and will have been mightily relieved to have heard the whistle.

It wasn’t pretty, especially in the second-half, but three-points, which at one stage had appeared little more than a formality, would have been the main objective… so mission accomplished.

The upshot is that the Dockers now have nine wins from nine league games. Superb stuff.

The only downside is that they’re not the only side in the division with a 100 per cent record. Bromley have also won their opening six matches, suggesting that this could be a title race that will go the distance.

Next Sunday, Newhaven Ladies are at home once again when winless Hassocks visit Fort Road. Another win here would set the women up nicely for their next league match – a trip to Bromley on 12^th November.

Exciting times ahead!

Come On You Dockers!

My player of the match (aka, the controversial part): Lauren Ephringham. The Newhaven captain was the major difference between the two sides in the first-half, and it was no surprise that as her input in the game waned in the second-half so too did Newhaven’s attacking threat.