September 11, 2023 3:36 pm
Clarets secure back-to-back away wins!
Burnley FC Women secured back-to-back wins with an emphatic 5-1 victory against Huddersfield Town Women at The Stafflex Arena.
Four different goalscorers managed to get on the scoresheet in what was a thrilling encounter in Yorkshire.
Manager Rebecca Sawiuk made three changes to the side that beat AFC Fylde midweek with Georgia Marshall, Lizzie Hamer and Dom Cooper replacing Maria Francis-Jones, Rhema Lord-Mears and Danielle Deehan.
First Half
The warning signs began pretty early on for the Terriers with lovely link-up play between Amaya Coleman-Evans and Laura Elford creating goalscoring chances for both Millie Ravening and Dom Cooper.
Coleman-Evans also came close herself in the opening ten minutes with a bending effort which narrowly flew over the bar.
However, Huddersfield Town also had opportunities in the opening stages with Kia Montgomery causing the Clarets backline all sorts of problems as she made several runs down the right-hand side of the pitch.
It was Huddersfield who came closest to opening the scoring just 20 minutes into the game as they were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box after Ravening fouled Charlotte Gill. Dolcie O’Connor perfectly placed her curling shot however, a stunning diving save from Clarets keeper Kirsty Levell kept the Terriers at bay.
The Clarets found the deadlock 30 minutes in as last season’s top goalscorer Millie Ravening poked home the opening goal. Millie beat the defender to the ball but her initial effort was snuffled out by the Huddersfield keeper, Olivia Conway. However, when Conway lost control Ravening wasn’t going to miss a second time and she put the Clarets ahead.
Huddersfield responded almost instantly as Fetruz Abdullahi fired a close range effort past Levell to equalise for the hosts.
End-to-end action followed the two goals with both sides creating chances to go ahead. However, when Ravening won a free-kick just outside the box an absolute peach of a curling shot found the top-left corner leaving Conway with no chance.
Second Half
Half-time came with the Clarets leading 2-1 and Captain Alethea Paul almost made it 3-1 two minutes into the second half.
Laura Elford picked up a loose ball in the middle of the field and made a mazy run down the right wing. She picked out Coleman-Evans who laid on the ball to Paul and her driving strike just shaved the outside of the post.
What started out as a scorching afternoon soon turned damp as the rain began to pour down in the second-half.
Coleman-Evans’s fine performance was soon rewarded with a goal as her outrageous looping shot beat the keeper and flew under the bar to make it 3-1 to the Clarets.
Two minutes later and substitute Maria Francis-Jones made it 4-1 as she latched onto a loose ball and confusion at the back for Huddersfield saw Francis-Jones win the ball and slot in her first and the Clarets fourth of the afternoon.
Huddersfield Town piled on the pressure in the final stages but solid defensive blocks from both Marshall and Mikayla Wildgoose kept the Terriers out. Levell also stood strong in goal with a series of commanding collections from Huddersfield’s corners and crosses.
Another Clarets substitution, Rhema Lord-Mears rounded off the afternoon for the Clarets. Francis-Jones turned the Huddersfield defence inside-out with a fantastic run and her cross found Lord-Mears who did well to find the bottom corner and round off an impressive away performance from the Clarets.
Burnley: Levell, Paul, McPartlan, Marshall, Wildgoose, Embley (Francis-Jones ’52), Hamer, Elford (Kelly ’60), Coleman-Evans (Lord-Mears ’75), Cooper, Ravening
Unused Subs: Farrell, Deehan
Huddersfield Town: Conway, Stanfield (Harness ’69), Ibbotson, Mallin, O’Connor (Nsangou ’64), Abdullahi (Devins ’79), Montgomery (Walton ’59), Mason, Fletcher, Mason, Gill (McMahon ’69)
Unused Subs: None
Goals: Ravening ’31 & ’40, Coleman-Evans ’61, Francis-Jones ’63, Lord-Mears ’84, Abdullahi ’34
