Gillingham Ladies were defeated 2-0 on a sunny Sunday afternoon by a physical Cardiff City side that did not afford them much of a look-in throughout most of the match.

The last time the two teams met was in the 17/18 season, where the points were shared thanks to a last minute equaliser from Kallie Balfour, who lobbed the goalkeeper from 25 yards to secure a hard-fought point for the Gills.

The Gills made two changes from the side that emerged 5-3 winners against CK Basildon on Thursday. Maddison Farrand and Daniella Farmer made the starting XI, with Farmer making her first start since returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. They replaced Breon Grant and Lauren George, with George absent from the squad.

The teams started relatively evenly. A couple of hopeful runs were made by Farmer and Seely, but these were called for offside. A foul on Alice Bussey saw Maddison Farrand send it into the mixer, but the resulting headed effort was above the bar.

Following this, Cardiff started to have the lion’s share of possession, keeping the Gills back line on their toes for a while. A powerful aerial pass by Lydia Huntley saw Daniella Farmer in on goal, but her tame shot was easily dealt with by Cardiff’s Laura O’Sullivan.

A defensive error in the 14^th minute saw Cardiff experience their first clear-cut chance of the game. However, Kylie Nolan’s shot was poorly struck and was sent out for a goal kick. Bussey saw a good chance fall to her in the 18^th minute after a poor lobbed pass from the Cardiff goalkeeper. She tried her luck from outside of the box, but her shot was picked up by O’Sullivan without too much trouble. A great cross from Bethany Powell in the 22^nd minute saw a great chance for a goal, but it was unable to find Farmer’s head to secure the goal.

The run of play was almost 50/50 now, with both Cardiff and Gillingham seeing chances to open the scoring, but unable to make them count. Cardiff’s Kelly Isaac tried her luck from 20 yards, but her shot bounced and was collected with ease by Courtney Shanly.

Cardiff were gifted a free kick in the 41^st minute just outside of the box following a foul. The Gills wall remained resolute, however, and blocked Chloe Lloyd’s low shot. A foul in the 43^rd minute saw the Gills get the ball into a dangerous position in front of the Cardiff goal, but it was ultimately collected by Laura O’Sullivan to kill off the hopeful chance.

The Gills were able to collect a corner in the 2^nd minute of added time, but the delivery was poor and was instantly out for a goal kick. This would prove to be the last major event of the first half, with the sides entering half-time without a goal on either side.

 

(HALF TIME- GILLINGHAM LADIES 0-0 CARDIFF LADIES)

 

Cardiff started well in the second half, with Jordan Guard trying a half volley from around 15 yards in the 46^th minute. However, there was too much power on this and it went out for a goal kick. Shanly’s lines had to be cleared by Millie Waud soon after, following a poor clearance.

The Gills were able to draw a corner following a fantastic display of skill from Maddison Farrand, whose pass was seen out by Shannon Greenway. The resulting corner was sent low and was unable to find a Gillingham head to see it in. A great ball in the 49^th minute from Millie Waud found Bussey, but she was muscled off the ball by Cori Williams.

Gillingham were seeing much more of the ball now compared to in the first half, but this did not deter Cardiff, who tried a shot inside the box via Gwen Davies, with it being blocked by Huntley.

The first goal of the game came in the 59^th minute, with Cardiff breaking the deadlock. Emma Jones collected a well-struck pass and struck it from 12 yards, beating Shanly and finding the back of the net. 0-1

 

This goal prompted Jack Wheeler to make two changes in the 61^st minute, with Daniella Farmer being replaced by Breon Grant, and Sammy Booker replacing Alice Bussey. Cardiff also made their first change, replacing Gwen Davies for Jasmine Turner. Turner’s first touch on the pitch was one to forget, as she blasted a shot over the crossbar with Shanly absent from the goalmouth. Shanly then made a great save versus Kylie Nolan in the 71^st minute, keeping out a dangerous shot.

Cardiff lined up or a corner with 15 minutes to play, but Jones’ cross was unable to find its target. Wheeler then made his final change of the game, with Millie Waud making way for Chloe Fowler. Gillingham came close to equalising in the 77^th, with a pass from Breon Grant targeting Sammy Booker, who nearly beat the keeper to collect it.

There were calls for a penalty in the 82^nd minute after Cardiff’s O’Sullivan took down Sammy Booker while collecting a loose ball, but the calls were waved away by the referee, much to Gillingham’s displeasure. Gillingham were awarded a free kick around 30 yards out after a Cardiff handball- a good delivery by Farrand was seen out for a corner, with a resulting shot going above the bar.

Play was stopped in the 90^th minute following a head injury to Daisy Monaghan, but she was not badly hurt and was able to play on. Gillingham missed a golden chance to equalise in the 93^rdminute, with Farrand’s cross being missed by Breon Grant and Sammy Booker. With seemingly the final kick of the game, Kylie Nolan picked up a loose ball and went on a brilliant solo run, with her first shot being saved by Shanly, but her second shot was slotted home to close the game out 2-0 for the visitors. 0-2

 

(FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM LADIES 0-2 CARDIFF LADIES)

 

 

Teams:

 

Gillingham: Shanly, Powell, Ashton-Jones ©, Huntley, Waud (off 75’), Manning, Monaghan, Seely, Bussey (off 61’), Farrand, Farmer (off 61’)

 

Subs: Giordani, Fowler (on 75’), Grant (on 61’), Ahern, Booker (on 61’

 

Cardiff: O’Sullivan, Guard, Lawrence, Greenway, Williams, Davies (off 62’), Lloyd, Isaac, Nolan (Goal 90+3’), Jumaratie, Jones (Goal, 59’)

 

Subs: Soper, Graham, Turner (on 62’), Rogers

 

Att: 70