Fylde Ladies end long wait for a win in style

Fylde have struggled to rediscover their early-season form but this eagerly-awaited win propelled them up to third in the table.

Joint caretaker managers Kim Turner and Charlotte Farrell made three changes to side that drew 0-0 with Derby County a month ago.

Danielle Brown, Jenna Carroll and Danielle Young were replaced by Tash Ronald, Vicky Westerman and Katie Anderton.

Anderton’s attempted cross from the right in the third minute was blocked, but her second attempt found Yasmine Swarbrick, who glanced a header wide.

A minute later, Anderton went it alone with a first-time shot from the edge of the area that flew over the top.

The Coasters had the ball in the net in the ninth minute, when Swarbrick headed home, but the linesman was quick to rule the goal offisde.

Charlie Evans was inches from giving the visitors the lead but her looping shot from 25 yards rebounded off the crossbar. It dropped for Kate Mallin, who somehow missed the target from inside the six-yard box.

Fylde deservedly opened the scoring shortly before the half-hour mark, when Anderton’s spectacular volley from the edge of the Huddersfield area gave the goalkeeper no chance.

Coasters keeper Ronald denied ex-Coasters striker Emily Heckler in a one-on-one situation to prevent an immediate response from the visitors.

Alice Forshaw doubled the Coasters’ lead 10 minutes later. Anderton fired goalwards and her volley dropped for Forshaw to tap home from close range.

The hosts’ advantage was extended further when Hannah Forster smashed the ball in off the crossbar from the edge of the area two minutes before the half-time whistle.

The second half continued in the same vein and the lead was soon four. A cross from the right was eventually poked over the line by Swarbrick, despite the best efforts of the visitors’ defence to clear the danger.

On 72 minutes, the Coasters made it five as Forster was given time to shoot from the edge of the area and the ball looped over the keeper into the left corner of the goal.

The visitors pulled one back with 12 minutes left, Mallin capitalising on an error at the back to slot the ball to the right of Ronald and into the back of the net.

Heckler then had two opportunities from corners but both headers flew wide of the mark.

Anderton put the icing on the cake inside the final 10 minutes, when she acrobatically met an inch-perfect cross from Swarbrick down the right to finish with aplomb.

DANIEL AGNEW

Fylde: Ronald, Stanfield, Westerman (Farrell 86), Walker, Wilkes, Kennerley, Forster, Adams (Hunt 70), Anderton, Forshaw, Swarbrick.