United Ladies pick up their first three points of the season in an away encounter at Wigan.
Sunday’s clash represented another realistic chance at United converting their string of positive performances into points on the table.
The Blues' team was a blend of experience and youth, with Lainey Johnson-Dodd making her first team debut, alongside a host of other development team players starting for Carlisle.
United picked up right where they left off from previous weeks and put Wigan under pressure from the first whistle.
Johnson-Dodd linked up well with the midfield pair of Murray and Birnie to cause the Wigan backline problems from the first minute, and on four minutes, Johnson-Dodd put her shot just wide of the bottom-right corner.
However, there would be no mistake eight minutes later, when inspired pressing from Norman resulted in the ball being turned over in the Wigan penalty area, Norman then laid the ball off to Johnson-Dodd, who calmly sent her marker one way and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, to mark her first appearance for the Blues with a goal and put United one up.
United could not however convert this early lead into sustained pressure on the Latics’ goal.
It was the home side, who were creating more of the chances after the United goal, and Kenyon was forced into a brilliant save on 19 minutes, but a minute later there was no error, when after a quick break, the Wigan striker placed the ball into the back of the net.
No side really took control of the game from the equaliser up until the interval, and possession and pressure ebbed and flowed between the two sides.
A mixture of quality defending from Defreitas and Beal and control of the ball from Blaylock, Best, Murray and Birnie ensured that Wigan did not really trouble Kenyon’s goal until half-time.
United had efforts on goal of their own though, a mammoth kick from Kenyon sent Johnson-Dodd in on goal but the Wigan defence managed to squirm the ball clear, and nice footwork from Cleasby forced the Wigan goalkeeper into a smart stop, but neither side could make an imprint on the scoreline and it remained level going into the half-time break.
HALF-TIME: Wigan Athletic Ladies and Girls 1-1 Carlisle United Ladies
United nearly had the worst possible start to the second-half, as the Wigan captain was played in on goal but a heroic stop from Kenyon, meant that the scores remained level.
Carlisle made sure that this game was not going to bypass them though and showed real resilience to respond to Wigan nearly going a goal up.
A fixture of United’s game was real intense pressing, and this paid off on 49 minutes, when Winter smartly turned the ball over on the right wing and managed to lay the ball to Murray, who then found Best, who rifled the ball into the bottom corner from outside the area to restore United’s lead.
United’s main aim from here was to put the game beyond Wigan and secure their first three points of the season.
There was a scare for the Cumbrians on 57 minutes however, when the Latics thought they had levelled the score, but the referee correctly observed that the Wigan striker, who had put the ball in the back of the net, had strayed offside.
United responded emphatically though and managed to give themselves a two-goal lead on 61 minutes, when a precisely whipped corner from Norman found Best, who had peeled off her defender, to resoundingly fire United into an unassailable lead.
Wigan did manage to make sure that United would have a nervy finish to the game though, as they replied with a goal of their own on 77 minutes to peg United back to a one-goal lead.
United though resisted any Wigan attempt at spoiling a first win of the season and managed to put Athletic on the back-foot for the final knockings of the game.
A victory seemed all but secured, until the Wigan midfielder unleashed a ferocious strike that looked destined for the top corner, but Kenyon had other ideas and expertly tipped the ball over the bar late on.
Then, after what seemed an eternity, the final whistle was blown and United could celebrate a well-earned three points and rise up the table in the process.
Sunday’s clash showed exactly what this United team has in abundance, heart and desire. This was summed up by Riddet and Messenger’s constant pressing when they were introduced into the game.
Sunday’s performance is one that the Ladies can be very proud of, and it sets up an opportunity for them to build on those three points and continue to move themselves up the table.
FULL-TIME: Wigan Athletic Ladies and Girls 2-3 Carlisle United Ladies
United: Kenyon, Blaylock, Beal, Best, Defreitas, Winter, Birnie, Murray, Norman, Johnson-Dodd, Cleasby.
Substitutes: Riddet, Messenger.
United goals: (12' Johnson-Dodd), (49’, 61’ Best)
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