Wolves 2 (Hughes 34, 42) Newcastle 3 (Elson 54, McQuade 79, Barker 89)
Wolves Women fell to a late 3-2 defeat to league leaders Newcastle United at the New Bucks Head on Sunday afternoon.
The Old Gold took the lead through Amber Hughes just past the half-hour mark after she smashed home from close range. The second came through Hughes again, who slotted home an empty net after taking the ball around Newcastle keeper Grace Donnelly to secure a brace and provide Wolves with a two-goal lead at the break.
However, it was a tale of two halves, and Newcastle turned the game around in the second period with their comeback starting in the 54th minute through Kacie Elson. The Magpies pulled level in the 79th minute through Jasmine McQuade, who headed in from a free-kick, before Katie Barker found the winner for the visitors in the 89th minute.
In what was a quiet and equal opening 20 minutes, both sides battled hard to try and work a chance.
Newcastle went close just before the half-hour mark when Georgia Gibson unleashed a goal-bound effort from the edge of the box, but Bec Thomas was equal to the effort.
The Old Gold broke the deadlock from an Anna Morphet free kick in the 35th minute. The ball reached Hughes in the middle of the box, who managed to smash it in from close range after Katie Johnson looked to have been taken out by the goalkeeper.
The Magpies worked an opportunity from just outside the penalty area just past the 40-minute mark, but Charlotte Potts attempted shot went way wide.
Hughes got her brace and Wolves second in the 42nd minute after she received the ball from Jade Cross before skipping past the on-rushing Donnelly to slot home into an empty net from a tight angle.
Half-time | Wolves 2-0 Newcastle
The away side had the first opportunity of the second half when Gibson was fed through on goal, but Thomas pushed the midfielder's chance out for a corner.
Newcastle pulled a goal back in the 54th minute when Elson poked home at the back post after Barker drilled a low cross across the box.
Gibson bent a ball into Bailey-Gayle in the danger zone with under 20 minutes remaining for the visitors. The striker, however, couldn't get the ball out of her feet, and the Wolves backline managed to sweep up the danger.
The Magpies pulled level in the 79th minute after a 25-yard free kick was sent to McQuade at the back post, who headed in.
The away side found the winner with just a minute remaining of original time after Elson floated a cross into the centre of the box for Barker, who rose highest to head home.
Wolves came close to levelling in the sixth minute of additional time through Beth Merrick, who picked up a crossed ball on the edge of the box. The winger unleashed a shot, but her goalward effort whistled over the bar, which meant the Old Gold fell to a narrow defeat after an outstanding first half of action.
Full-time | Wolves 2-3 Newcastle
NEXT FIVE
22/03/24 – West Bromwich Albion (H)
31/03/24 – Huddersfield (A)
03/04/24 – Stourbridge (A)
07/04/24 – Halifax (H)
21/04/24 – Nottingham Forest (H)
TEAMS
Wolves | Thomas, Morphet, George (Owen 72), Will, J. Cross, Hughes (E. Cross 62), Holmes, Johnson, Fryer (Fergusson 62), Toussaint (Dudley-Jones 88), Merrick.
Unused sub | Banaras.
Newcastle | Donnelly, Watt (Boddy 46), Kelly (Elson 46), Barker, Gibson, Greenwood, McQuade, Potts, Lumsden (Stobbs 46), Bailey-Gayle (Galloway 74), Cataldo.
Unused subs | Dodds.
Report by Jordan Preece
