Chatham Town Women’s fight to stay in the Women’s National League South took a huge hit when they slumped to midweek defeat at the hands of Billericay Town Women.
Despite taking the early lead through Holly Turner, two minutes of lapses meant they went in trailing and then a slow start to the second period, along with the mistakes and hesitations that has plagued their season meant that they returned over the Dartford crossing still winless in this campaign, that now appears to be coming apart completely.
Yet ridiculously when you lose 5-1, it really was a case of what might have been as home keeper Alex Baker used her substantial frame to deny the Chats on countless occasions as Turner and co were thwarted in what was easily their best attacking display for many weeks.
And when Baker was beaten, her crossbar came to the rescue of the home side as Taylor Bell’s fine long-range effort rattled the cross bar.
After all that followed, it was a dream start as Breon Grant cut in from the left and her pass was drilled beyond the home keeper into the bottom corner magnificently by Turner who worked her socks off all night.
It was so nearly THE perfect start as in their next attack Grant’s goal bound drive was desperately blocked.
The first warning for the visitors saw keeper Cara Davies pull off an outstanding reflex save to deny Maddy Biggs as the Billericay top-scorer flicked a cross goalwards.
The home side then took advantages of two poor moments of indecision within 90 seconds to take the lead with Biggs unopposed to hammer home her 13th goal of the season.
Seconds later Ella Houghton was on hand to sweep home the second and all of the Chats good work in the opening stages was gone!
The Chats responded and Grant saw a low drive shovelled round the post and from the corner skipper Grace Coombes was unlucky with a header. Just before the break, Niamh Charles found Ellie Jeffkins who saw her drive blocked round the post for a corner.
Sadly, for the visitors as the second half started it became 4-1 before they got going with Biggs getting her second and the home side’s third before Ruby Sealey smashed a shot past Davies for the fourth.
Taylor was becoming almost a one lady battering ram at the other end and although now three behind, every time the striker got the ball, the home defence retreated.
She was denied by Baker’s legs after a great ball in from Bell and in the Chats next attack, she was hauled to the ground after a fine run. Referee Smith waved away the protests and to really rub the Chats collective noses in it, the ball was played forward to Biggs who looked yards offside, but no flag was forthcoming, and the striker raced away to complete her hat-trick and her fifteenth goal of the season.
It really was soul destroying for the Chats but for possibly one of the first times this season, they kept going.
Jeffkins had a free-kick that Baker scooped round the post before a quadruple change seemed to totally reignite the visitors for the final quarter.
Turner had another effort rebound from Baker’s legs, before the home keeper pulled off her best save of the lot denying the Chats from point blank range as a free kick looped into the box. Taylor was inches away from converting a great run from Lenny Priest before Bell’s super late effort crashed to safety off the bar.
The home side did have the chance to make the lopsided scoreline look even more one sided late on, but Davies pulled off a really good save to deny Sarah Walsh, but by then the damage had well and truly been done on the night!
A night for the visitors to forget when a ridiculously high foot on Grant left the Chats forward with a cut lip yet the perpetrator wasn’t even spoken to by the increasingly inconsistent official – not that that sadly could be blamed for this disappointing display at New Lodge.
After the final whistle, the Chats coaching team and all the players held a long discussion on the pitch as the inquests began as the Women now face a monumental task of trying to stay in the National League South – ten points from safety with just six games left… it will take some doing from here!
BILLERICAY TOWN WOMEN – Baker, Smith, Williams, Biggs (Rushen), Leanne Bell (Davis), Beaucroft, Rogers, Sealey (Doo), Houghton, Walsh (Evans), Thomas (O’Shea)
CHATHAM TOWN WOMEN – Davies, Leitch (Jackson), Auguste, Coombs, Priest, Jeffkins (Hynes), Taylor (Espinosa), Wells (Bell), Grant, Charles (Sharp), Turner
REFEREE – Mr Smith