The Coventry City Ladies got their season off to a flying start with a tremendous 7-1 victory over Leafield Athletic. Danni Saulter opened her account netting once whilst Cherelle Archibald, Katy Moran & Jade Formaston each scored twice. The win marked a memorable debut for Managers Paul Cudby & Matt Whitehouse as they charge for their first competitive fixture.
Moran got the Sky Blues off to a dream start, sweeping the ball into the bottom corner first time from a Helen Dermody pass in just the second minute. Coventry's constant pressure told again in the 10th minute as Saulter's penetrating run left her one on one with the keeper. The midfielder turned striker's lobbed effort rebounded off the crossbar but Saulter had alertly followed in and made no mistake with her second bite of the cherry.
After hitting 6 in Coventry's final warm up match against Leamington, Cherelle Archibald continued to show fine form scoring the first of her brace on the quarter hour mark. Leafield briefly narrowed the deficit when Jamie-Leigh Fowler struck a well placed effort into the corner leaving Centre of Excellence graduate Adele Rogers no chance in the City goal.
Last season's top scorer Jade Formaston wasn't kept off the score sheet for too long as she opened her account in the fortieth minute from Moran's through ball putting the Sky Blues into a commanding 4-1 halftime lead. At the break Rogers was joined by another player from the Sky Blues impressive youth set up, Jade Ogle's introduction in place of an injured Natalie Wilcox marked a first team debut for the Coventrian. The second half began much the same as the first. Formaston & Saulter combined to slice open a frail looking Leafield back line leaving Archibald with a simple finish for her second.
Man of the Match Ally Forbes, playing out of position at left back, slotted a superb through ball for Moran who coolly finished to make it six in just the 58th minute. The result was confirmed just 7 minutes later as Formaston followed in to finish from a tight angle after Kelly-Anne Willis had seen her shot blocked by the keeper. The goal was again the result of a first class ball from Forbes who was filling in for Jenni Lowe.
Cudby was full of praise for the versatile defender "There were plenty of positives from today's game. Obviously it was great to get off to such a convincing winning start. Forbes was tremendous at full back, Katy Moran played an exceptional game as did Danni whose pace & movement gave them fits". In an effort to keep his troops on the ground Cudby issued the following warning "The players all know that they face a sterner test next week though in the shape of Copsewood".
Line-up: Rogers, Wilcox (Ogle 45), Forbes, Moran (Willis 60), Lynch (c), Bryenton, Dermody, Henson (Pinner 45), Archibald, Saulter, Formaston. Unused subs: Lipman, Robery
