Coventry City Ladies 2-3 Leicester City
8th October 2006
Midlands Combination League
Christine Wheeler reports
A suspected broken nose and concussion to striker Mel Byrne compounded Coventry City Ladies misery on Sunday with a 3-2 loss to rivals Leicester City.
The game had got off to the worst possible start for the Sky Blues when Leicester scored in the first minute through Sam Clarke. Amanda Whalley got the hosts back on level terms fourteen minutes later with a lucky cross from wide right, which sailed over the Leicester goalkeepers head
Byrne's injury occurred after twenty minutes following a clash of heads while challenging for a header. Sam Clarke then got her second of the game on thirty two minutes when she blasted into the roof of the net from close range to give Leicester a half-time lead.
Substitute Sinead Wade made it 2-2 eight minutes after the break when the diminutive striker got up to head home a Kelly Henson corner. Coventry didn't stay level for long though as Sam Clarke got her hat-trick just one minute later with a low shot after she was left unmarked.
Coventry upped the tempo in the final ten minutes with a barrage of assaults on the Leicester goal, but it was a case of little too late as Leicester held on to take all three points.
Coventry manager Stuart Wilson said that he thought that a few of his players did not want to be on the pitch as some put in such little effort: “The focus and concentration for the whole game, except for the last ten minutes, was disappointing”
Team: Kerry Williamson, Natalie Wilcox, Jenny Lowe, Natasha Lynch, Alison Forbes, Amanda Whalley (Maria Cartwright 67), Emma Lipman, Mel Byrne (Sinead Wade 24). Kirsty Robson, Kelly-Ann Willis (Julia Marshall 67) Sub Not Used: Kayleigh Poole