After last week's barnstormer of a game between these two sides i had this one down as a tight game, maybe a 1-0 either way. But what do i know? It didn't quite live up to last week's drama but it was pretty damn close. Again we had pretty much everything. Good goals, great saves, dodgy defending, and good hard challenges with no quarter asked and none given. Just a normal day in the WSL at Ashby Avenue then.
The WSL is being covered by ESPN this season and they had chosen this fixture as the main match for their highlights show. I don't have Sky/ESPN so i can't comment on the show or its content. But in a week WPS women's league in America kicked the bucket, its great to see media interest in the women's game here growing and a broadcaster giving it valuable airtime which should help the game grow. From small acorns great oak trees grow and all that.
The show appears to be fronted by Jacqui Oatley of BBC Radio 5 live fame who, looking at her twitter feed, didn't seem too happy with the toll fee on Dunham bridge (36p for any away fans reading this). Never the less it was good to see her and her team here today and i trust they left with positive impressions of both Lincoln Ladies football club and Lincoln United.
As expected both sides made a couple of changes. For Lincoln Captain Casey Stoney came into defence in place of Meaghan Sargeant. It was tough on Meaghan who had a good game against the Gunners last week but it just shows the strength in this Lincoln squad at the moment. Obviously i am not as familiar with the Arsenal squad and i didn't hear the sides announced, but i could work out that they had replaced Sophie Harris in goal with Emma Byrne and Jayne Ludlow had come in and taken the Captain's armband. Alex Scott, after her tough afternoon against Jess Clarke last time out, had dropped to the bench. There may have been more changes but they were the ones that stood out to me. Arsenal had brought a decent number of supporters with them today and most of them seemed to be carrying a rucksack. It must be a London thing. I mean how much stuff do you need to take into a football ground with you?
Both sides created early chances in the opening minutes of the match. Casey Stoney came to the Imps rescue early on when she cleared a dangerous looking Arsenal attack. At the other end Lincoln earned an early corner. One of the features of last weeks match was Lucy Staniforth's delivery from set pieces but her first effort today was well cleared by the Arsenal defence. The game was starting to settle down with neither side really on top in the first 15 minutes or so. Then on 22 minutes Arsenal created the first bit of quality in the match.
A Lincoln corner was well cleared by Arsenal and hit out to Rachel Yankee who got the better of Sophie Barker and unleashed a great shot into the corner which Hobbs managed to get a hand to but was unable to keep the ball out. Devastating football from Arsenal and a glimpse of just why they have been the dominant side in women's football over the past ten years or so.
Minutes later it could have been two nil. Lincoln were still a little punch drunk after the goal but thankfully Remi Allen came to the rescue with a great goal line clearance.
This did seem to wake Lincoln up and we finally managed to get the front two of Jess Clarke and Precious Hamilton into the game; and they both had a hand in Lincoln's equaliser.
Hamilton unleashed a fierce shot that the Arsenal keeper parried out to her left. Gunners centre back Gilly Flaherty, who had spent much of last weeks game moaning about everything and everything, attempted to shepherd the ball out of play as Jess Clarke pressured her. Jess is the quickest player in the Imps squad and her pace took the defender totally by surprise as she nipped in to de-posses her. A lesser player would have took a shot herself but Jess took a moment, looked up, and played the ball back to the edge of the box. Hamilton stepped over it leaving it for the on rushing Collette Mccallum to unleash an unstoppable shot into the top of the Arsenal goal for 1-1. It was a super finish from the Australian international but i am not too sure that Flaherty will be looking forward to seeing her role in the goal on the highlight show later in the week.
In the previous two matches between the two sides i have written about Arsenal's weakness at defending set pieces. Now obviously i am not coach or expert on the coaching side of the game but if i was the Arsenal manager i would have thought that the first thing that i would have had the players doing at the next training session following the game was to practise attacking the ball and make sure that everybody knew who they were meant to be marking at set plays.
Not so it would seem, as Lincoln's second goal was quite similar to our second goal last week.
Lincoln won a free kick about halfway inside the Arsenal half on the right hand side as we looked at it. Over came Lucy Staniforth to send over one of her first class deliveries. The Gunners defence dropped off and allowed Megan Harris to head home from 3 yards out unchallenged to give Lincoln the lead in the 39th minute. I would have thought that the Keeper would have been the best person to deal with the ball, but whoever was meant to clear it must have the Arsenal manager tearing her hair out on the sidelines.
Again the game came alive with Hamilton getting booked for an over enthusiastic challenge. Both sides were putting in some strong but fair challenges and the game was well set up for the second half.
HT 2-1
Although i have been to all the side's home matches I have, until today, yet to try the food on offer so just before halftime i broke that duck today. I went for the cheeseburger option at £3.50 and i am very pleased to report that it was delicious with the burger relish really topping it off. A very impressive 9/10 rating. certainly the best burger i have had inside a football ground for a long time.
If Lincoln had slightly shaded the first half then the second half belonged to the Gunners. Arsenal rarely lose back to back games and came out for the second half all guns blazing. Nicola Hobbs in the Lincoln goal pulled off a great save with her legs to deny the Gunners an equaliser about 10 minutes into the second half. Lincoln were playing high up the pitch in a bid to try and catch the Gunners offside and were at times living dangerously.
Lincoln then suffered a set back when Jess Clarke took a knock and was replaced with striker Carla Cantrell. Carla hadn't been on the pitch long when she had a great chance to extend the lead, but Byrne smothered her effort well. On 66 minutes Arsenal did level it up when Lincoln's offside trap was sprung and Little repeated her goal of a week ago when she rounded Hobbs and coolly slotted home.
With Jess off, Lincoln had a big problem as she is Lincoln's ball carrier and the side's best outlet. Sides also respect her pace and do tend to defend deeper when she is on the pitch. With the Jess threat removed Arsenal were able to push further up the pitch and force the Imps to drop deep.
Just when it looked that Arsenal were starting to get on top in the game Lincoln took the lead in the 73rd minute and again it came from a free kick. This time Collette Mccallum took the free kick from the right of the Arsenal goal. It was sent to the back stick and was headed by Rachel Daly. Byrne parried the effort against the post but Daly reacted quickest to bury the rebound in the roof of the net. After notching that she fell to the ground and received the customary pile on from her teammates in much the same fashion that Megan Harris had last week. 3-2 with 20 minutes to go.
It was however a long twenty minutes for the Imps as Arsenal threw pretty much everything they had at Lincoln in a bid to salvage a point. The Imps made another substitution bringing on Meaghan Sargeant for Collette Mccallum in a bid to stop the wave after wave of Arsenal pressure. Hobbs in the Lincoln goal made a couple of top draw saves and it started to look that by hook or by crook Lincoln would somehow hold on then, with 5 minutes left to play Kim Little got between two defenders and looped a shot over Hobbs to level the scores up. This was as they say in football was squeaky bum time.
Arsenal sensed that the momentum was with them and moment later thought they had a penalty kick with the ref turned down much to the annoyance of both their players and fans. Without wanting to go all "Arsene Wenger" i was stood down at the other end of the ground at pitch level so my view of it was one of the worst in the house, so i am unable to say whether it was or wasn't, but the ref didn't give it so that's good enough for me. Yankee who was the stand out player for Arsenal wasn't done yet however and when the Gunners were awarded a free kick deep into added on time she stepped up to take it and i feared the worst. Thankfully she was unable to do a Megan Harris and her shot clipped the top of the crossbar. Moments later the whistle blew and the Imps had claimed a most valuable point. The first points that Arsenal had dropped in the league this season.
I am always the optimist when it comes to football and i view this as definitely a point gained as oppose to two points dropped for the Imps. Lots of sides would have buckled under the kind of pressure that Lincoln faced in the latter stages of the game but the Imps never gave up and made Arsenal fight for every inch. One pleasing aspect for me is the fact that the goals have been shared around the side and we are not reliant on one player for the goals. At the other end i am sure that once we get a settled centre back pairing i think we will look alot more solid at the back. All of the players who have played at the back have done well but i am sure the manager would like to get a settled back four in the not to distant future.
While i am writing about the defence i must mention Rachel Daly who had quite an eventful afternoon. Not only did she grab the third goal and deservedly won the lady of the match award, but she also managed to sustain a black eye in the process. She has been one of the most consistent players this season and is a very effective attacking full back. She has also had a few unfortunate incidents so far, as she sustained a nasty head injury away at Chelsea earlier in the season. Hopefully today's injury isn't too serious and we wish her a speedy recovery (and hope she doesn't collect any more injurys this season!)
So now that the dust has settled on this little Lincoln v Arsenal mini seires i think it is pretty clear that Lincoln can compete with the very best in this division. Each side has gained a win and the third game has been drawn. I am looking foward to the away game at their place in September and we shall be having a "Jolly boys" away day on the train. Lets hope the Imps play as well down there as they have in these three matches.
The next match for the Lady Imps is at home on Wednesday week when rock bottom Doncaster are in town for the local derby and i for one can't wait. Although i do have a decision to make for that game. I was going to go to the chippy just down the road from the ground for pre match nourishment but after the fantastic burger i had at the game today i am not so sure now. Decisions decisions...
Thanks for reading
COME ON YOU LADY IMPS!!
