COVENTRY CITY LADIES 2-2 PRESTON NORTH END
City: Wood, Johnson, Quayle, Formaston, Lynch, Miles, Hughes (Gauntlett 60) Barber (Clough 70), Lowder, Dermody, Toussaint. Subs: Towers, Mellor.
Preston: Brown, Stainfield, Nixon, Bayley (Carroll 61), Forshaw, Flanagan, Parker (Chadwick 77), Swarbrick, Cleaver (Ball 52), Forester, Walker. Subs: Rawcliffe, Heath.
HT CCLFC 1-1 PNEL
FT CCLFC 2-2 PNEL
Referee Trevor Martin. Assts A. Cox and C.Davis.
Goals Helen Dermody 18, Laura Walker pen 38, Beth Stanfield 47, Katie Lowder
------------------------------------------
Coventry City Ladies came back to take a 2-2 against Preston North End at the Ricoh Arena.
On a sunny afternoon at the Ricoh Arena, Craig Nicholls side were straight on the attack with Helen Dermody having a Lowder cross saved for a corner in the opening seconds.
More chances soon followed for the Sky Blues attacking the North Stand in the first half with a Formaston shot and then an eleventh minute corner which was hacked away, Amber Hughes firing over and then a 16th minute piledriver from Helen Dermody which crashed against the crossbar from twenty five yards.
The Lillywhites won a 23rd minute corner which was easily cleared with some neat passing and had a couple of half chances including a Cleaver drive and an attempted lob .
Toussaint was blocked by Brown in the 35th minute but three minutes later, Preston were awarded a penalty and Laura Walker dispatched the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Preston continued with a 40th minute corner and City's long standing captain Natasha Lynch headed over a free kick.
There was just over ninety seconds on the watch of referee Trevor Martin when Beth Stanfield finished off a break to put Preston ahead at the start of the second half.
Hughes immediately had a drive pushed over by Brown diving high to her right.
Hughes was replaced on the hour mark by Maz Gauntlett as Craig Nicholls looked for a way of getting his side back in the game.
Gauntlett was soon involved having a free kick go wide which was the same as happened to a Dermody free kick in the 69th minute.
Callen Barber clipped wide before being replaced by Karen Clough, who started to add some width.
City laid siege to the Preston goal and in the 77th minute, they took a share of the points. thanks to a lovely Dermody shot hitting the bar and it falling for Katie Lowder to run in and tap into the net with Brown stranded.