Words Brian Flynn | Pictures Maisy Green

Salford City Lionesses 4-1 Altrincham Women

Altrincham FC Women were ultimately well beaten by an excellent Salford City Lionesses display at AIG Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Robins started the game well with Carmen Culbert’s free kick being tipped over the bar by Justine Elliot and Tia Unwin went very close from close range, but Salford took the lead on the quarter hour mark, when goalkeeper Toni Williams attempted to prevent a corner on the left-hand side of her penalty area, inadvertently clearing the ball straight to Mollie Bennett who calmly found the back of the net from 15 yards.

Despite this setback, Alty continued to take the game to the home side and Elise Jones was just inches wide on the half hour mark.

Bennett scored her and Salford’s second with a perfectly executed looping effort from twenty-five yards, however the goal should have been disallowed as winger Lucy Allman was clearly yards offside during the build-up.

There was further controversy five minutes before half time when Salford keeper Elliot was adjudged to have handled outside her area and shown a red card. It was a very tight decision.

Early in the second half, Alty produced their best move of the game. A raking pass found Katie Locke in the right-wing channel, and she fed Georgia McKnight inside the area. McKnight’s low, well-placed shot was pushed around the post by substitute goalkeeper Joanne Mountain.

From that moment, the Lionesses took charge to produce a disciplined, organised, skilful and calm performance, whilst the Robins struggled to put together any form of cohesion in their play.

Further goals from the talented Allman and Leah Embley made it 4-0 before Shanai Underwood scored a consolation goal for Alty in the third minute of additional time.

After winning their opening three league fixtures, just one point has been gained from three tough away games at Rochdale, Atherton LR and Salford City. Each game has had a similar performance profile, with a positive first half performance being followed by a fall off after the interval.

Salford City Lionesses should go on to be North West Women’s Regional League Division One Central champions and it’s a measure of the progress that Altrincham Women are making that Daryll Abrahams’s side more than matched them during the first half, with the clear improvement opportunity for the team being to try to maintain a high-quality display throughout the game.

Salford: Elliot; Rennie, Lancaster, F. Davies, Robinson, Embley, Greenhalgh, Douglas, Allman, Lambert, Bennett

Substitutes: Battle, Kolbuck, Mahaffey, E. Davies, Mountain

Altrincham: Williams; Locke, Morrison, McKnight, Culbert, E. Jones, Lowe, Kullu, A. Jones, Unwin, Tickner

Substitutes: Moss, M. Whitehead, Tilston, Walsh, Underwood

HT: 2-0

Goals: Bennett 14', 33', Allman 54', Embley 80' | Underwood 90+3'

Referee: Jordan Lock

Elite U18

It was a 2-1 defeat to Winsford Town u18 Girls at Partington Sports Village in the Cheshire Women & Youth Football League, u18 Divison East. Francesca Hamilton netted the Robins' goal from the penalty spot.

Next Up

We're away from home again next Sunday (25th October), taking on Wigan Athletic Ladies at Ashton Athletic FC for a 2pm kick-off.