Coventry City Ladies 6-0 The New Saints
25th March 2007
Midlands Combination League
By Christine Wheeler
The goal difference gap between Coventry City Ladies and league leaders Rotherham was reduced on Sunday as the Sky Blues managed to put six past an under-strength The New Saints at Westwood Health.
With the visitors only managing to field ten players it was no surprise that the majority of the traffic was towards TNS' goal, although Jemma Lloyd almost put the away side in the lead on 20 minutes though her header just glanced wide.
The Sky Blues finally took a deserved lead just before the half hour mark when Kirsty Robson beat the offside trap to dink the ball over Sarah Martin. The lead was then doubled through captain Natasha Lynch after 41 minutes when she climbed highest to nod the ball into the net.
Mel Byrne got the next two goals for the home side, one on either side of the interval. Her first was the final kick of the opening period as she blasted in a close range effort, the second coming twelve minutes after the restart to make it 4-0.
Coventry had an extra bit of luck for the fifth when Martin's attempted clearance ricocheted off the onrushing Jodie White, who watched as the ball bounced into the goal. Robson wrapped up the scoring with 10 minutes remaining after she was set up by a sublime pass from Helen Dermody.
Coventry are due to visit The New Saints in two weeks time after the original fixture was abandoned in October at 1-0 to Coventry after TNS' Casey Starlin broke her leg. Coventry manager Stuart Wilson admitted he isn't too pleased to be going back: "I'm not too happy about having to replay the game, but we have to do what we have to do, and we will"
Coventry City: Kerry Williamson, Helen Dermody, Jenny Lowe, Kelly Henson (Natalie Wilcox, 73), Natasha Lynch, Maria Cartwright, Kirsty Robson, Emma Lipman, Mel Byrne, Sinead Wade (Jodie White, 58), Kelly-Anne Willis (Alison Forbes, 68)
Goals: Kirsty Robson: 29 & 80, Natasha Lynch: 42, Mel Byrne: 45 & 58, Jodie White: 63,