Chelmsford City Reserves 6 Southend United 1
Sunday 12th October 2008, Marconi Leisure, West Hanningfield Road. Kick Off 2.00pm. Essex County Women's League Division Two.
Grainne McLaughlin netted her first hat-trick for City since arriving during the summer, which saw City record a resounding victory over Southend on Sunday afternoon.
City lost both their encounters with Southend last season which shows the strength and difference of City this campaign as they have now made it four straight wins. City dominated the game from the start, playing passing football with good enthusiasm and the scoreline may have been more but for the Southend keeper who made a number of excellent saves.
She was powerless in preventing City taking a two goal lead courtesy of an Ashleigh Harding opening goal and McLaughlin netting her first of the game. Southend to their credit pulled a goal back but City soon restored their two goal advantage when Letitia Cleary saw her persistence pay off with a well taken goal before McLaughlin netted a 4th.
Cleary and Harding’s movement up front continued to cause constant problems for the visitors defence after the break while City’s defensive back line looked comfortable in smothering Southend’s sporadic forays forward. Elspeth Arkell, in the centre of defence, was instrumental in cutting out the long balls forward by the keeper and was on hand to make a goal line clearance to maintain her sides three goal lead.
Midway through the half, a period of City pressure paid off when Rachel Brett curled a right foot effort inside the right hand upright to net City’s 5th goal.
Southend’s keeper denied City with a terrific double save from point blank range but moments later, good work by Hannah Magner and Cleary on the right culminated in McLaughlin latching onto a great ball into the box to complete her hat-trick.
Chelmsford City: Parker, Nelson, Cornell, Brett, Arkell, McLaughlin, Barnard, Medici (Millar), MacInnes (Magner), Harding and Cleary.
Goalscorers: Grainne McLaughlin 3, Ashleigh Harding 1, Letitia Cleary 1 and Rachel Brett 1
City Player of the Match: Elspeth Arkell
Referee: Alan Clark (Chelmsford)