Free Scoring Mossley Draw Blank Against Professional Phoenix

By Brendan Devereux

Leeds Ladies headed into the unknown this past Sunday travelling to Mossley Hill who were second in the league with a far superior goal difference than anyone else in the league. Leeds made their intentions known from kick off constantly pushing forward at every opportunity & giving Mossley no time on the ball. This was evident on the 7th minute mark when under pressure a Mossley back pass was way too short & Bianca Ross pounced only to see her shot go just over the crossbar. 

With Mossley being reduced to shots from distance Leeds looked lethal going forward & after 20 minutes Sophie Scargill whipped in a great cross that Hannah Campbell flicked into the path of Bianca Ross who shot straight at the keeper. One minute later it was Ross & Campbell again linking up as Hannah broke free of a defender & laid the ball off to Binx whose shot deflected off a defender into the keepers grateful arms.

With Leeds not having failed to score in a game this season going into the break goalless seemed unlikely & on 39 minutes Emily Starkie had her trademark shot from near the halfway line which whistled just inches wide of the post. Three minutes later it was a case of anything you can do I can do better when Bridie Hannon picked up the ball on the halfway line & spotted the keeper off her line as soon as the ball left Bridie’s foot the result was never in doubt as the ball sailed in giving Leeds a very deserved 1-0 lead at half time.

As Leeds came back out for the second half Fiona Berry was making her return to first team action & wasted little time in letting the Mossley players know who she was. Within 8 minutes of the restart Fi had clattered 3 players & was then booked for dissent after not quite agreeing with a decision made by the whistle happy referee.  As Mossley pushed forward trying to find an equaliser Leeds looked dangerous on the counter attack & on the 63rd minute it was a trademark drive & shot from Hannah Campbell that was spilled by the keeper only to land at the feet of Carey “Kez” Huegett that saw Leeds go 2-0 up. Eager to make the victory that more emphatic manager Jak Oldroyd sent on Vicky Fytche. As the game was drawing to a close Fytche produced a Beckham-esque cross field ball that landed at the feet of Hannah Campbell who cut inside & let fly only to see her shot rebound off the post.

The result saw Leeds climb to joint second in the league with Mossley & will host them at Knaresborough on the 14th of December after the little matter of a FA Cup tie against local rivals Guiseley Vixens on the 7th. With confidence at an all-time high this was not just a win but a professional performance that everyone else in the league should sit up & take notice of as the Phoenix continues to rise. 

---