Stoke City 2 (Logan 18, Jordan 55) Wolves Women 1 (J. Cross 86)
Wolves Women fell to their first defeat of the 2023/24 season as Stoke City ran out 2-1 winners at Emerys Stadium.
The Potters started the first half brightly as Alice Higgingbottom played through Saffron Jordan within the opening five minutes, however Shan Turner reacted quickly to beat the oncoming forward to the ball.
Turner would be called into action just moments later when a similar ball was played through to Stoke’s number nine again, who this time gained possession before firing straight into Turner’s hands.
Heidi Logan, who looked to cause problems for the Old Gold’s backline all afternoon, then had her first opportunity of the game not long after but her shot from distance went just wide of the target.
Dan McNamara’s side began to grow into the game after Stoke’s early chances with Beth Roberts having the best chance of the half not long after as some good work from Amber Hughes allowed the ball to fall to her inside the box before her strike looped over the crossbar onto the roof of the net.
Ellie Wilson then received her first yellow card of the game after a foul on Logan near the touchline. Shannon Stamps sent the free-kick deep into the Wolves penalty area but Turner claimed it in the crowded box.
The hosts took the lead shortly after as a mix-up between the defence allowed Logan to pick the ball up on the edge of the box and take it around Turner before calmly placing it into the empty net.
Looking for an instant reaction to going behind, Beth Merrick picked the ball up in the middle of the park and drove forward towards the Stoke goal but her shot was caught by Georgie Ferguson between the Stoke City sticks. However, Ferguson’s clearance was only as far as Merrick Will who tried to lob the Potters goalkeeper but it rose over the bar.
Logan had another opportunity as the game edged closer to half-time as she capitalised on a missed clearance but her strike from around 15 yards out struck the post before being cleared.
Wilson received her second yellow card shortly afterwards as the clock hit the 35-minute mark following another foul on Stamps who was driving towards goal which saw Wolves go down to 10 players with more than half the game still to play.
There was another long break in play after a challenge on Hughes saw her go down with a head injury. She was unable to carry on and was replaced by Jade Cross as the game entered added time. The resulting free-kick would be the final action of the first half but Anna Morphet’s cross into the box was punched away by Ferguson.
Half-time | Stoke City 1-0 Wolves
Despite being down to 10 players, Wolves started the second half on the front foot with both Roberts and Destiney Toussaint having opportunities to level the score before Merrick saw a free-kick saved well at the near post.
Somewhat against the run of play, Jordan doubled the hosts lead as they broke quickly with the ball reaching Logan in space on the edge of the box. She then played a good pass across the area to Jordan who placed the ball past Turner to extend their lead.
Logan was involved shortly afterwards as she looked to double her tally for the afternoon however Turner saved her initial shot with her foot before catching the follow-up shot from the rebound.
Stoke continued to apply pressure on the Old Gold’s goal with Katie Johnson doing just enough to put Logan off as she chased down a long ball forwards and fired just wide. Not long after, Jordan had another opportunity however her effort was always rising as it flew over the crossbar.
Refusing to go down without a fight, Merrick drove the visitors forwards and played a dangerous ball into the box which Ferguson collected before Morphet fired an effort goalwards from distance but her effort sailed over the bar.
As the clock ticked into the final five minutes, McNamara’s side continued to search for a way back into the game and J. Cross was able to halve the deficit as Will picked up the ball out wide and found Sophie Bramford in the box. She was then able to spot J. Cross in space who finished well past Ferguson.
It was too little too late though as there was only one clear opening before the final whistle as Tammi George fired just over before the referee brought an end to proceedings.
Full-time | Stoke City 2-1 Wolves
NEXT THREE
- AFC Fylde (H) 24th September
- Nottingham Forest (A) 1st October League Cup
- Huddersfield Women (H) 8th October
TEAMS
Stoke | Ferguson, Clements, Thompson, Suttie, Molinari, Puddefoot, Stamps (Hunt 64), Higginbottom (82), Leek, Logan (Philpott 64), Jordan (Kinvel 82).
Unused subs | Finneran.
Wolves | Turner, Wilson, Morphet, George, Will, Hughes (J. Cross 45), Johnson, Fergusson (Bramford 82), Toussaint (E. Cross 74), Roberts (Dermody 74), Merrick.
Unused subs | Fryer.
Report By Bek Howell
