Gillingham Ladies FC were dealt a blow after being frustratingly beaten 2-0 by a Portsmouth Ladies FC at Chatham Town on a wet Sunday afternoon via two contentious free kicks.
The Gills fielded a similar XI to last week, with Courtney Shanly between the sticks, and Vicky Ashton-Jones captaining a defensive line of Lydia Huntly, Rachel Ahern and Millie Waud. Two changes were made to the starting XI, with Daniella Farmer’s striker role being filled by Sammy Booker, and Grace Seely coming in for Maddison Farrand on the wing.
Gillingham were out for revenge after last season’s result, where a four-goal romp from Portsmouth saw the game wrapped up at half time. They would have their work cut out for them though, with Portsmouth LFC on a good run of form after winning their last three fixtures, conceding only two goals and scoring eight.
The opening couple of minutes saw very little to separate the two sides, with the Gills just about edging out Pompey with regards to chances. Portsmouth weathered this early storm well, and the following minutes saw a slew of action in the Gills box, but neither side were able to find an early goal.
The Gills managed to hold onto the ball well following this and had their first chance of the game in the 9thminute, with a cross from Grace Seely into the box being denied at the near post by Hannah Haughton. Portsmouth responded in the 12thminute with a good through-ball finding Shannon Albuery, but Shanly was on hand to collect the ball before it became a threat. In the 15thminute Pompey found themselves with a good chance again, but their effort was blazed considerably wide of the target.
Play slowed down after this, with a half-chance from Alice Bussey the only real action following Pompey’s wide shot. The Gills were seeing a majority of the possession, but Portsmouth’s defence was watertight and shut down chances seemingly before they even appeared. Gillingham were awarded a corner in the 25thminute, but the cross was poor and easily dealt with by Portsmouth’s back-line.
A shot in the 27thminute by Alice Bussey looked hopeful for the Gills, but the shot bounced off the slippery surface and was quickly collected by Haughton. A couple of Gills chances followed this from Sammy Booker, but neither were able to find the back of the net for the first goal they desperately wanted. Play was briefly stopped just before the half-hour mark due to an injury to Albuery, but she was able to play on following treatment. A good Pompey build-up play soon manifested, but Katie James’ shot was poorly struck and went well wide.
Gillingham came agonisingly close to finding an opening goal in the 44thminute, with a great link-up play finding Alice Bussey, who had run in behind the Pompey defence but unfortunately shot over the crossbar, sending it out for a goal kick. Bussey came close again shortly after, with a long free-kick from Rachel Ahern finding her head, but Haughton was on hand to collect the effort. This would prove the be the last event of the first half, with the two sides entering the break unable to find a vital opener, but with the Gills looking the brighter of the two in attack.
HALF TIME | GILLINGHAM LADIES 0 PORTSMOUTH LADIES 0
As the second half got underway, the Gills looked more active and were threatening a goal from the beginning. However, a foul called on Vicky Ashton-Jones in the 54thminute saw Portsmouth take the lead, with Katie James’ long-range shot blazing in off the right hand post, leaving Shanly rooted to the spot.
(GILLS 0-1 POURTSMOUTH- James, 54’)
Portsmouth looked much brighter following James’ opener, and with the Gills on the back foot, she narrowly missed a chance to double Pompey’s lead, instead shooting wide. In an effort to refresh their goalscoring chances, the Gills made a change, with Scarlett Kelly replacing Rachel Ahern up front to make her first team debut in the 64thminute. There were calls for a penalty shortly after with Kelly being sent flying in the box, but these were waved away by the referee, much to Gillingham’s displeasure. Gillingham came close following this, with a long free kick into the Pompey box just about being cleared out by Haughton.
Play slowed down following this chance, and while the Gills were still searching for a goal to bring them back into the game, Portsmouth were intent on defending their one goal lead, and placed more players than usual on their back line. Gillingham were gifted a corner in which was played from Waud to Monaghan, but Monaghan’s lobbed pass was intercepted with ease by Portsmouth.
Gillingham came close once again to finding their equaliser, with Kelly controlling a lobbed pass and playing it through to Grace Seely, who was unfortunately met with a challenge, seeing the ball away from danger. A body check by Waud in the 78thminute saw Pompey line up for a free kick just outside the box, with Jade Bardley’s shot being initially blocked, but the rebound was picked up by Eilidh Currie to double Portsmouth’s lead with just 12 minutes left to play.
(GILLS 0-2 PORTSMUTH- Currie, 78’)
A Gills attack shortly after kick off almost saw Kelly find a debut goal when Monaghan sent in a low cross, but Haughton was able to smother the attempt a fraction of a second before Kelly was able to make contact. With eight minutes left to play, the Gills made their second and final change, with Millie Waud making way for Sophie Chapman to also make her debut. Gillingham came agonisingly close once again, with a free-kick leading to a header which was just cleared off the line. Alice Bussey made a great run immediately after, only narrowly missing out on being able to slot a chance under the goalkeeper.
With a minute of normal time remaining, play was stopped after Bethany Powell was injured in a challenge and had to be assisted off by the coaches, meaning Gillingham would finish the match a player down. A corner whipped in by Waud had no effect, with a save from Shanly being the last action of a miserable afternoon for Gillingham in the rain.
FULL TIME | GILLINGHAM LADIES 0 PORTSMOUTH LADIES 2 (James 54′, Currie 78′)
Gillingham Ladies: Courtney Shanly, Lydia Huntley, Vicky Ashton-Jones, Rachel Ahern (Scarlett Kelly 64′), Millie Waud (Sophie Chapman 82′), Bethany Powell, Chloe Fowler, Daisy Monaghan, Alice Bussey, Sammy Booker, Grace Seely
Portsmouth Women: Hannah Haughton, Danielle Rowe, Amelia Southgate (c), Katie James, Shannon Albuery, Jade Bradley, Rebekah Tonks, Jazmin Younger, Eilidh Currie, Jade Widdows, Caitlin Collighan
Portsmouth Women Subs: Ellie Kirby, Melissa Burns, Emma-Jane May
Photos supplied by Kent Pro Images.