It was Derby Day Delight for NUFC Women as they defeated SAFC Women 3 – 1 in a crucial WSL2 League fixture in front of 18,972 fans at St. James Park on Sunday afternoon.
It meant that Newcastle made it three-in-a-row since ascending to the same League status as Sunderland. A double last season and first blood in this season’s clashes will never ever go amiss with the Geordie Faithful, who once again turned up in great numbers to cheer their side on to victory.
Ironically, it was United’s first home win of the season and not at Gateshead International Stadium. The Lady Mags, perhaps appropriately, maintain their unbeaten record at their spiritual home, a place where they always seem to raise their game to the required levels. The ‘real’ home advantage, perhaps.
Sunday’s result made it two wins out of three and seven points from a possible nine for caretaker manager Claire Ditchburn, who is doing a superb job so far alongside Peter Ramage. But as well as giving United that timely boost up the season it has also installed, for the moment, the North East bragging rights as their two local rivals trail in their wake.
To the game itself and in truth for the first 52 minutes it was a tight even turgid nervy very bitty tight affair as Derby games often are. Neither side being able to establish a real foothold or even carve out a decent chance.
All that changed in one dramatic moment where the game swung massively one way and then the other with a single kick. It came from a penalty kick with Sunderland being given a huge opportunity to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
Katie Kitching’s dinked ball into the United box saw the home Centre Back Aoife Mannion and the visitor’s Centre Forward Eleanor Dale come together. The ball rebounding off Mannion’s foot straight on to her hand giving her the chance to clear. But rightly the referee deemed handball and a penalty.
So, up stepped Dale at The Gallowgate End. Standing 12-yards away from her on her goal line United’s debutant keeper, Finland International Anna Tamminen. A goalkeeper given the #1 jersey when she arrived in the summer but owing to injury this was her first minutes in such a huge game.
Dale went to Tamminen’s right and struck the ball low, reasonably firm and towards the corner. But the Finnish stopper guessed correctly and smothered the spot-kick superbly. It was the lift the crowd and her teammates needed and lit the blue touchpaper.
Within 10 minutes United were in front. Good work on the left from Skipper Demi Stokes and Jordan Nobbs saw Beth Lumsden win a corner off Mary Corbyn. Nobbs swung in a vicious in-swinger that Grace Moloney in the Sunderland goal failed to cut out.
It fell to Centre Back Deanna Cooper at the back post who via head and body bundled the ball over the line in amongst a crowd of bodies to register her second goal for United at St. James’ Park. Cooper netting a late equaliser against Southampton last season and this one was just as crucial.
Before Sunderland could recover they were almost hit again within a minute. Oona Sevenius putting substitute Emily Murphy through on goal but Moloney came off her line superbly to make a great block. But Murphy was not to be denied and on 66 minutes doubled United’s lead.
Again, it came from a corner won by Murphy herself on the right this time as Natasha Fenton conceded it with a good challenge to stop the rampaging Murphy’s surging run. Lumsden this time the deliverer with another great in-swinging delivery that Moloney could not deal with.
The ball dropped inside the six-yard area and when Sunderland Captain Rhiannon Roberts made a hash of her clearance Murphy was on the spot to smash the ball home with her right foot from a mere three yards out.
Joy for United. Despair for SAFC but their heads were not bowed and they came roaring back into the game almost from the restart with a corner of their own. Kitching curled it in dangerously and Louise Griffiths headed it goal wards only to see Mannion head it off the line.
The ball came out to Emily Scarr still inside the six-yard box and she headed it back across goal finding Keira Barry barely a yard out who nodded it into the Gallowgate net. A lifeline for visitor’s and game on again.
Should United shut up shop or go for the jugular. They chose the latter and killed the contest off in the 78th minute. Murphy involved in starting the build-up and then finishing the job off. The Republic of Ireland international picking a ball up in her own half driving forward and finding Sevenius on the right.
Sevenius continued the forward momentum and cut inside returning the ball to Murphy who glided past Fenton and then from just outside the 18-yard area fired a right foot shot across Moloney who got a full hand to the ball but couldn’t prevent it hitting the back of the net.
Perhaps the Sunderland stopper could have and should have done better but Murphy and her teammates couldn’t have cared less as they celebrated restoring their two-goal advantage. It was a lead they comfortably controlled for the rest of the game to record another historic Derby win.
Murphy will no doubt deservedly take the main plaudits but Tamminen’s fine penalty save in a nerveless very solid debut performance was definitely the catalyst and leaves us all with the intriguing Ditchburn question going forward.
(Picture via Andrew Thirlwall)
Stop the in a row 💩 it’s a mackem thing born out of jealously and a pathetic attempt at one upmanship.
Don’t stoop to their level.
Absolutely glorious(Quote)