LADIES MATCH REPORT: UNITED 1-1 PENWORTHAM

Sammi Norman’s scintillating strike earned United a point against Penwortham Town Ladies at Creighton on Sunday. 

United were coming off the back of a 5-2 defeat to the same opposition last Sunday in Lancashire and were looking to prove that result was a one-off. 

Carlisle’s start proved exactly that, they started with energy and pace and pushed Penwortham back into their own defensive third.

They pressed and tried to create themselves clear-cut chances, but they couldn’t quite manufacture themselves an opening.  

United did have enough of a control of the game though to not allow the visitors to carve anything out for themselves of note. 

The first real chance of the contest fell to the Blues on 43 minutes, when Chelsea Norris’ long ball found Katie Blaylock in space in the Penwortham half, Blaylock drove towards goal, but her shot was just over the ‘keepers’ bar. 

Blaylock and Norman’s width was an asset for United and looked like the way that they were going to open up the Penwortham defence. 

Carlisle’s backline consisting of Defreitas, Best, Norris and Hodgson were composed and commanding, giving United a platform to build on in the second half. This coupled with Murray and Winter’s control of the middle of the park set The Cumbrians up for a positive afternoon. 

HALF-TIME: Carlisle United Ladies 0-0 Penwortham Town Ladies 

Penwortham started the second half slightly better than the home side and managed to create their first chance of the afternoon on 46 minutes, but their striker shanked her effort well wide of Kenyon’s goal. 

Lainey Johnson-Dodd and Victoria Riddet’s pressing was a constant nuisance for the visitors’ backline and allowed United to gain back the momentum they had accumulated in the first half. 

On 56 minutes, United thought they had taken the lead, a precisely whipped corner by Norman looked as though it had gone over the goal-line, but the referee didn’t give United the goal. 

The Cumbrians made sure that this wasn’t going to set them back and just five minutes later, great pressure from Winter and Johnson-Dodd caused the ball to break to Norman on the edge of the box, who rifled the ball into the bottom corner on the half-volley. 

Carlisle couldn’t hold on to their lead for long though and the visitors responded a minute later to cancel out United’s hard work and level the game. 

Both sides then went blow to blow, United looked the more threatening but Penwortham looked dangerous too. 

On 75 minutes, it was the visitors who went close to taking the lead, when they hit the post and Norris heroically cleared the rebound off the United line. 

The game looked like it had plenty more drama to offer up in the final fifteen minutes and this transpired on 83 minutes, when the Penwortham keeper scythed down Arwen Galbraith in the penalty area and United had a chance to take all three points. Norman stepped up, but her well-struck penalty narrowly missed the bottom left corner to give the visitors a reprieve. 

This would have been the icing on the cake of a brilliant captain’s performance from Norman and an impressive team display by Carlisle. 

This would be the final action of note and marked a performance that United can be buoyed by. The Cumbrians travel to Gilford Park next Sunday to play neighbours Stanwix, and if they play with the same determination and endeavour as this weekend, they can be confident of coming away with maximum points. 

FULL-TIME: Carlisle United Ladies 1-1 Penwortham Town Ladies 

United: Kenyon, Hodgson, Best, Norris, Defreitas, Norman ©, Murray, Winter, Blaylock, Johnson-Dodd, Riddet 

Substitutes: Nixon, Galbraith, Messenger 

United goals: (61’ Norman) 

POTM: Sammi Norman- Sponsored by Warwick Road Bed Centre