Late Heartbreak for Knowle Ladies

The second game against Shrewsbury Town this season for Knowle Ladies ended in the same scoreline as they went down 2-3 at home on Sunday.

The game started in a cagey fashion from both sides, without much play in the final thirds at either end of the pitch. Yvette Dolphin and Kate Fleming were making the midfield a battleground and there was little action to report in the early stages. Shrewsbury attempted to switch the focal point of their attack to the wings, and it was the first time they did get behind the Knowle backline that bought the first goal on fifteen minutes. The winger drove forward to the byline and cut the ball back, and Katie Adams was the unfortunate Knowle player who turned the ball into her own net whilst running back towards goal. This gave the away side a boost and they controlled the rest of that first half. They had the ball in the net again soon after, but Knowle’s backline had pushed forward rapidly to catch the striker offside.  

Young goalkeeper Jess Jenkinson showed just why she had been selected, saving her team on a couple of occasions, firstly with a superb reaction save down low to her left and then pushing the ball round the post from a long range effort. Shrewsbury looked certain to score when Jenkinson blocked a 1v1 on the edge of the box only for it to fall straight to the forward following up, but her first time effort hit her strike partner who standing on the penalty spot following the original attempt and was promptly flagged offside.

Knowle’s opportunities were limited, but Nadia Bacciochi was causing problems up front. She skipped through a couple of tackles in the box before her shot was blocked by the last defender and then teed up Jess Barlow on the back post. The midfielder’s attempt was gathered easily by the Shrewsbury keeper however.

This period of pressure sent the Robins into halftime in good spirits, and that showed straight after the break. Natalie Gibson came on and immediately made a difference, hitting a trademark long range attempt that flew just wide. Knowle were on the front foot and it paid off when Barlow snapped into the tackle deep in the Shrewsbury half to win possession. Fleming picked up the ball and played through to Demi Rolph, who raced into the box, beat her defender and nicely slotted the ball home past the keeper.

With the teams on level pegging, they traded blows as the half wore on. Jenkinson pushed a looping shot over the crossbar and Bacciochi was inches away from connecting with Rolph’s cross. Shrewsbury were the team to go ahead though when their left sided forward cut inside and unleashed an absolute rocket that flew in from distance. Knowle refused to give up, bringing on Lily Phelps and Bex Clarke to provide additional energy in midfield. They were rewarded for their efforts with 89 minutes on the clock. Maz Byrne played to Jess Holland and she found Rolph out wide on the right. Her cross landed perfectly for Adams deep in the area and she was coolness personified as she took a touch and fired her shot into the net.



It looked as though Knowle had snatched a draw, but there was one last chance for Shrewsbury. A miss-hit shot looped high into the air in the penalty area; Jenkinson looked favourite to claim but the Shrewsbury forward jumped in and collided with her. The ball spilt out, bounced off the downed striker and fell straight to another Shrewsbury player who poked her shot in at the far post. 

Heartbreak for Knowle as that was virtually the last kick of the game; the final whistle blew on restart for confirm that 2-3 scoreline. A good performance from the Robins however, especially in the second half where they ended up being undone by that cruel luck late on. The team face Burton Albion at home next Sunday; a chance to bounce back.

Knowle: Jenkinson, Holland, Betteridge (Smith, 45), Byrne, Henry (Phelps, 65), Adams, Dolphin, Fleming (Clarke, 65), Barlow (Joynson, 65), Rolph, Bacciochi (Gibson, 45).