Chatham Town Women’s search for their first League win of the season goes on after a heart-breaking 3-2 defeat at the hands of Oxford United Women at the Bauvill on Sunday afternoon.
The Chats remain stuck in the bottom two of the National League South, five points from safety, but with the side immediately above and below them still to play.
Oxford arrived in Medway unbeaten in their last eight, but such has been the Chats’ improvement since the arrival of Keith Boanas, United’s 4-0 win when the two sides met in September was never going to be repeated and indeed the home side were left feeling frustrated not to have grabbed a share of the spoils.
Ahead at half time when Breon Grant raced onto Otesha Charles’ great ball down the channel, the Chats’ defensive frailties resurfaced in the second half after referee Monkman gifted the visitors the softest of soft penalties from which Zoe Barratt levelled from the spot – just one of a number of “strange” decisions the visitors were awarded.
Barratt then put the visitors in front with a fine drive into the top corner before Lotte Sharp was on hand to equalise for the home side after keeper Paris Sercouse dropped Ellie Jeffkins’ free kick.
Sadly, for the home side, Barratt then completed her hat-trick taking advantage of defensive hesitation to burst through.
The game started at a fair pace and was very even, and the Chats showed their improving form and belief by actually taking the lead when new singing Charles threaded a ball down the line for Grant to run onto and as the keeper came out, Grant held her nerve and slid the ball wide of the advancing stopper.
Barratt showed her threat before the break, but Chats keeper Cara Davies pulled off a couple of really fine saves to keep the home side in front whilst at the other end, Charles was inches away from her first Chats goal as she was denied by a crunching tackle from the keeper on the edge of the box.
After the break, the visitors were gifted a way back into the game when the official saw an offence on the very extremities of the box and gave a spot kick that Barratt drove beyond the despairing Davies.
The Oxford forward then showed real quality by beating the Chats keeper from fully thirty yards with a drive that was still rising at it hit the top corner.
To their credit though, where in the past the home side would have crumbled, they rallied and how, as when Jeffkin’s flighted free kick was not dealt with by the Oxford defence or keeper, Sharp lived up to her name and levelled the scores.
Sadly, it was not to be as with just over ten minutes left, Barratt took advantage of defensive hesitancy to burst into the box to coolly slot home as Davies came out.
The home side’s afternoon was then summed up by Lenny Priest’s attempted clearance which went higher than distance actually travelled and forced Davies into a smart save punching the ball out.
The match official deemed the “back pass” and gave the visitors an indirect free-kick much to the bafflement of the majority of the crowd – both home and away!
Fortunately, nothing came of the free kick, but unfortunately the home side could not find their way through again despite loud appeals for a late penalty of their own after substitute Chie Madamombe was flattened on the edge of the Oxford box.
That elusive first win is surely coming for the Chats Women – it seems at the minute though whether it will come in time!
CHATHAM TOWN WOMEN – Davies, Haynes (Leitch), Jackson, Priest, Coombes, Jeffkins (Perkins), Grant, Charles (Madamombe), Wells (Espinosa) Sharp.
Sub not used – Poole.
OXFORD UNITED WOMEN – Sercouse, Barratt, Burridge, Cook, Jenkins, King (Hoare), Oliver, Provan, Wellesley-Smith, Budaieva, Wiseman.
Subs not used – Russell, Trinci, Dearcove.
REFEREE – Mr Monkman
Pictures supplied by Allen Hollands.