The lasses made it two wins from two. A second consecutive clean sheet and seven goals scored across both fixtures, as Sunderland Women won 4-0 away to Rangers at Broadwood today.
This was one of the only games Sunderland have open to the public this pre-season and the fans who made the trip north of the border were certainly given a treat.
Those that were there stated it could have been more, but understandably, performance, rotation, variations of players, tactics and formations are more important in terms of preparation for the upcoming season.
Mel Reay opted for a changed side ahead of this fixture with a lineup which was pretty reminiscent of last season’s chosen squad. The only difference is that Hannah Greenwood is in for the dearly departed Amy Goddard at centre-back.
Whilst the lasses got off to a strong start from the first whistle, their tempo was halted when striker Eleanor Dale went down with an injury. Hopefully, nothing too serious and more just precautionary, with Reay bringing on Emily Scarr.
Despite the halt in play, the lasses got straight back to it and were playing some delightful football.
At the 15th minute mark, Katy Watson bagged her first of the afternoon when she responded quickest to a loose ball in the box and dispatched it into the back of the net.
Just two minutes later, Watson was on the scoresheet again after tapping in a brilliant cross from the wing by Emily Scarr.
Rangers were struggling to contain Sunderland as they looked to get forward in numbers and utilise the speed of their forward line. With Katie Kitching, Ellen Jones, Watson, and Scarr linking up well.
30 minutes gone and Sunderland went 3-0 up after Kitching slots home a perfectly weighted pass from Marissa Sheva. The lasses and fans were understandably jubilant, and the question at this point was how many more could they score.
That isn’t to say Rangers weren’t without merit. Despite the scoreline, the opponents still took the game to Sunderland and looked to reduce the deficit.
Lasses keeper Demi Lambourne was called to action a few times and made some excellent saves to maintain the clean sheet. Fans noted she looked very confident, and it’s a pleasure to see.
Just on the stroke of half-time, Sunderland made it 4-0 and Watson had bagged her hat-trick after she chased down a loose ball and fired it into the back of the net.
It was almost a shame the half-time whistle went, as the lasses were in the ascendancy and Rangers didn’t know how to cope.
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At the interval, the gaffer opted to make two changes. Bringing off Marissa Sheva and Mary Corbyn for Emily Cassap and a trialist.
The lasses seemed content to maintain possession and play composed football in the second half, with some of their attacking edge easing off.
Despite this, the lasses were rarely troubled and seemed content to work their way out from the back and build play up slowly.
Sunderland made two further changes with summer signings Rhiannon Roberts and Reanna Blades coming on for Hannah Greenwood and match ball winner Katy Watson.
With ten minutes left on the clock, Sunderland made two final changes. Bringing Kitching and Westrup off for two academy players, Chloe Paxton and Tilly Parker.
The referee finally blew the whistle and called an end to what seemed to be a fairly one-sided affair. Though it should be said Rangers did field a young squad, fans seem quite unhappy with performances as of late and urge the club to make more signings.
Leanne Crichton, Rangers Manager, has only been in charge for 48 hours after Jo Potter called time on the club back in June.
It hasn’t been the start Crichton would have liked, but they will soon begin their SWPL fixtures with today’s game being their final preseason match.
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