A solitary goal separated Gillingham Ladies and Crystal Palace Ladies at MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Gemma Bryan’s fourteenth minute strike was decisive and the away side took the points.
Gillingham Ladies manager Jack Wheeler made five changes from the team’s previous outing against Luton Town. Faith Cullen-Cooper, Danni Farmer, Jade Keogh, Aileen Williams and Kylie Mangtelow made way in the starting eleven. Grace Seely, Emily Symonds, Rachel Ahern, Esther Anu, Kallie Balfour returned to the line up.
Gillingham had the games opening chance when just two minutes into the tie, Sharna Giordani’s header from a corner was going in the bottom corner. Palace defender Pam McRoberts scooped the effort off of the goal line to save her team from conceding the opener.
The visitors would break the deadlock not before to long. In the fourteenth minute, Crystal Palace pressed into the Gills penalty area and forward Gemma Bryan’s strike beat Courtney Shanly to give the away side the lead. 0-1
Crystal Palace had the better of the chances between the opening goal and the half time interval. Ciara Sherwood’s free kick on the edge of the penalty area, the strike looked to test Shanly but the Gills keeper was able to deal with it at ease.
Former Gillingham winger Nikita Whinnett could of doubled Palace’s advantage. Gemma Bryan’s delivery of a cross into the box eluded the Gillingham defence and Whinnett collected it at the far post. Fortunatly for Gills, her strike was high over the target.
HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM LFC 0 CRYSTAL PALACE LFC 1 (GEMMA BRYAN, 14)
Gills looked to restore parity and nearly did when Whinnett sent a short placed back pass to keeper Megan Lynch. Esther Anu intercepted and tried a shot on goal. Lynch recovered the space and blocked Anu’s effort.
Kallie Balfour was next to try her luck, with a burst of pace on the left hand side. The forward brushed past the Crystal Palace defenders and tried to find the far corner of the goal. Balfour’s shot beat Lynch but also agonisingly missed the far post.
The visitors held off Gills early pressure in the second half to mount a charge to extend their lead as the clock ticked on. First it was to be Lessa Haydock who took on a shot from distance but her effort was wide of the target.
The crossbar would twice be Gills saviour in the last ten minutes, Gemma Bryan rattled the woodwork with a shot before Shanly cleared the danger as Ellie Bailes looked to tap in. As full time approached and Palace with a free kick, the effort sailed over Shanly and clipped the woodwork.
FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM LFC 0 CRYSTAL PALACE LFC 1 (GEMMA BRYAN, 14)
Gillingham Ladies: Courtney Shanly, Lotti Klatt, Rachel Ahern (Jade Keogh 30’), Millie Waud, Yasmin Poole, Emily Symonds, Grace Seely, Esther Anu, Sharna Giordani (Aileen Williams 77’), Kallie Balfour (Bethany Nugent 68’), Jenny Newman
Unused Subs: Cara Davies
Crystal Palace Ladies: Megan Lynch, Pam McRoberts, Tia Foreman, Ellie Bailes, Rosie Paye, Freya Holdaway, Ciara Sherwood, Gemma Bryan, Leesa Haydock, Nikita Whinnett, Megan Chandler
Subs: Amy Green, Ellie Stenning, Ria Collins, Jade Davenport, Steff Simmons
Referee: C Clarke
Assistants: D Goldstone, L Vitoria
Att: 137