Back
row: Tiffany McCloy, Danielle Morton, Leanne McDowall, Julie Price, Becky
Fisher (captain), Pamela Liddell, Natalie McConville; front row: Kimberley
Littlejohn, Claire O'Connor, Megan Thomson, Nicky Samuel, Lianne Rundell,
Bernadette Speedie, Lisa McInarlin, Lauren Littlejohn.
(Missing
from group is Lisa Boyd).
West of Scotland Under-14 League – Quarry Road Playing Fields, Irvine
WISHAW OFF TO A FLYING START
|
North Ayrshire |
0
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WISHAW Boyd (3), McInarlin, Lauren Littlejohn, McConville (3), Kim Littlejohn, Liddell (3) |
12
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Wishaw's first league game of the new campaign saw them travelling to Irvine to meet league newcomers North Ayrshire. Wishaw had new signings, the twins, Kimberly and Lauren Littlejohn in their starting line-up and on the bench Karen Keir and Claire O'Connor. The girls couldn't have asked for a better start when in the first minute Lisa Boyd, with a thundering shot from twenty-five yards, put the away team one up. This spurred North Ayrshire into action and it looked as if the teams could be evenly matched with both teams fighting to dominate the midfield.
In the eighth minute Pamela Liddell picked the ball up on the left cut inside the box and squared the ball into the six-yard box. Lisa McInarlin was first to it and put the ball in the back of the net to put Wishaw two up. Unfortunately, Lisa sustained an injury while scoring the goal and was substituted two minutes later by Karen Keir.
Wishaw now took command and five minutes later, after sustained pressure, went three up when the Littlejohn twins combined and Lauren slotted the ball home.
It was all one-way traffic and Wishaw added another four goals before the break with Boyd, Kimberly Littlejohn scoring one apiece and McConville grabbing two to put them 7-0 up at the break.
With Wishaw coasting to victory, manager McPhillips replaced Natalie McConville and Danielle Morton with youngsters Claire O'Connor and Bernadette Speedie confident in knowledge that if things weren't going as planned she could bring the more experienced players back on due to the rolling subs ruling.
Four minutes into the second half Pamela Liddell, last year's top goal scorer, got her first of the season with a shot from eighteen yards after some fine play by Karen Keir on the right.
Although the ball very rarely out the North Ayrshire half it took Wishaw another sixteen minutes before they increased their lead to 8-0 when Liddell once again hammered the ball home from eighteen yards.
McConville came back on and in the twenty-second minute of the half went on a mazy run down the right, beat three players and hit a sixteen yard shot hit the back of the net to give her a hat trick.
Minutes later Boyd also grabbed her hat-trick after a good run down the left, and with a minute to go Liddell also scored her third after some nice play by Lauren Littlejohn down the right.
It is hard to say after one game how Wishaw chances fare this season due to the inexperience of the North Ayrshire team. There is bound to be a strong challenge from Killie, Largs and Cosmos for the title but the squad is much stronger than last season and hopefully they will there or there abouts at the end.
Wishaw: Price, Rundell, McDowall, Morton, Fisher, Kimberley Littlejohn, Lauren Littlejohn, Boyd, McInarlin, Lidell, McConville. Subs: Keir, O'Connor, Speedie.
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Player
of the Match
|
 |
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Lauren
Littlejohn
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