Coventry City Ladies promotion charge continued apace with a 10-0 drubbing away to the Hereford Pegasus Ladies. Jade Formaston delivered a virtuoso performance scoring 5 and laying on a further 2. Carly Davies marked a memorable debut scoring twice and providing 3 assists.
Hereford found themselves under the cosh right from the off, Kelly-Ann Willis forced a good save Heidi Venables in the first minute as she fired in a low effort from a tight angle that the despairing keeper could only block by thrusting out her left leg. Davies, Danni Saulter and Captain Natasha Lynch all had chances to open the scoring early on as Pegasus were forced to batten down the hatches.
Willis appeared to give Coventry a deserved lead in the 14th minute but her strike was ruled out when the assistant referee determined that Saulter had taken the final touch from an offside position. City wouldn't have to wait long for the opener as Formaston latched onto a Saulter pass and fired home just a minute later. It was Formaston who doubled the Sky Blues' lead when she reacted quickest to poke home after Venables denied a well hit Willis effort.
With just 30 minutes on the clock City made it 3-0. Davies was able to escape down the left wing and deliver a wicked curling cross that midfielder Kirsty O'Sullivan was able to volley inside the left upright. After hitting the underside of the crossbar twice in a four minute span it was beginning to look as though Formaston might be stuck one short of her hat-trick, that was until Davies unlocked the Hereford defence once again sliding the ball into the Formaston's path to fire low to the keeper's right.
On the stroke of half-time Willis stepped up to smash home a penalty for a 5-0 lead. The spot-kick had been awarded after a Lynch free kick from just inside the Hereford half. Formaston, in search of her fourth, ran onto the ball deep in the area before being brought down by the luckless Venables. Whilst Coventry had made light work of the first half it wouldn't be without cost as Danni Saulter was forced off with a badly bruised ankle. Contesting a drop ball with Karen Hackley, Saulter came off worst as the tough tackling Hereford midfielder took more than just the football.
The Second period was punctuated by lengthy injury delays as Hereford lost Keeper Venables in a clash with Formaston that also saw the City winger notch her fourth of the game. Jenny Shail stepped into the fray between the sticks for the beleaguered Pegasus and was soon picking the ball out her net, although she made a good block on Formaston's first effort, Shail was stranded for the follow-up as Formaston retrieved the ball out wide and fired in from a tight angle.
Kerry Williamson had been reduced to a virtual spectator in the City goal before being saving well from Simone Quinn's well struck long range effort in the 80th minute. Keeley Lowe marked her long awaited return to action side stepping one challenge and fighting through a second on the edge of the Hereford box, the resulting loose ball ran onto Davies to coolly open her Coventry account.
Davies wouldn't have to wait long for her second, a neat one-two with Formaston found her with just the stand-in keeper to beat, Davies obliged firing into the roof of the net. In the 12th and final minute of injury time a rare clearance from the City back line ran through to Keeley Lowe courtesy of a neat dummy from Lisa Sharad. Shail came out well to challenge and was unlucky as her block from Lowe's shot rebounded back onto the striker and headed goal bound. Lowe left no doubt as she raced in to bury the ball in the back of the net.
Next up for the Sky Blues is a home tie with the 5th placed Loughborough Students on Sunday the 16th of March. The two sides met earlier in the season with Coventry running out 5-0 winners courtesy of goals from Willis, Lynch, Natalie Brace, Emma Lipman & Mel Byrne. The match is scheduled for a 2pm kick off at the Coventry Universtiy Sports Ground on Westwood Heath Road, entrance is free.
