ASTON VILLA v Stockport County

Sunday, September 26, 2004
League match

Villa's unbeaten league run faltered today, losing to Stockport 3-2, after playing the majority of the game with 10 players and after Courtney was sent off for saving the ball with her hands in spectacular style on Villas goal line.

Manager, Terry Unitt was faced with dilemmas right from the start, with Carter absent, Smith on England duty and Pearson suffering from a worrying back injury, changes to the side had to be made. Clover came into midfield, Masters started and Goode played at centre half with Saggs whilst Walton came in as left back.

As is becoming the norm it took a goal from the opposition before Villa got going. After a couple of half chances by both sides the ball was eventually passed through to Stockport’s number 17 who took the ball on and hit the ball over Dobbins in goal 1-0 Stockport 9 minutes on the clock.

As usual this spurred Villa on and in the next 5 minutes Villa went close twice once by Masters who was fed in after good work down the touch line by Penny and then Sharred went close after being found by Walton’s precision pass from deep.

Stockport then had a free kick awarded in a dangerous position only to see it sail comfortably over the bar. Courtney then nutmegged the Stockport left midfielder and put Penny scampering down the byeline, who then resisted three separate challenges to cross the ball deep to Franklin who in turn put the ball back across the goal, on target but Stockport’s defence cleared at the expense of a corner. The resulting corner was headed goalwards by Saggs but the keeper held on.

Franklin then shot over on the half hour mark when good work by herself and Walton saw her spring the offside trap, then down the other wing Penny picked up the ball deep ran at Stockport pulled the ball back to Sharred whose shot was scooped up by the keeper.

After 35 minutes the ball found its way into Villas box and Stockport’s forward lofted a shot goalbound which beat Dobbins but couldn’t beat the right back Courtney who acrobatically tipped the ball over the bar, penalty of which there was no doubt and a sending off too, which was a shame but those are the rules I’m afraid, the penalty was put away quite convincingly leaving Dobbins little if no chance at all to save.

2 nil down and with only 10 players it all looked over for Villa with 55 minutes left, but Penny went to right back Masters to right midfield leaving Gibson up front on her own, within 5 minutes the fight back started the ball was picked up on the halfway line by Masters who switched the ball early to Franklin who ran at the defence and put a hard and low cross in-between the keeper and defence which Gibson latched on to and stroked home to make it 2-1.

It wasn’t to end there though again Franklin got the ball and this time looped the ball towards Sharred, the ball bounced between her and the keeper she capitalised on the keepers hesitancy nodded it over her and followed it in to head the ball home 2-2, 44 minutes gone.

Half Time

The second half was a much more cagey affair, although it was Villa who started in the ascendancy with Masters just failing to connect properly with Sharreds cross from the left, then Dobbins held on comfortably to a Stockport effort.

Franklin again showed some great skill and poise to beat two defenders after Walton had put her clear down the left hand touchline, but her cross just didn’t get the right connection from Sharred in front of goal and it went wide enough for Stockport to defend, another cross from Franklin went begging because of the player deficit, Villa were getting into dangerous positions and but for their lack of players would have surely gone in front.

Saggs then saw her free kick sail over to the far post to find Masters whose shot across the face of the goal just went wide, this was great pressure from a side with only 10 players, if only they could make it count.

But no, the sucker punch came from an innocuous looking throw from Villas left which bounced through to Stockport’s number 17 who hit the ball into the goal from close range, 3-2 to Stockport, 65 minutes on the clock.

Franklin again picked up the ball and ran at the heart of Stockport’s defence she seemed to knock the ball passed the keeper in the area and also it seemed, was taken out by the keeper in the process, but the referee saw nothing wrong in the challenge but did see a foul on Clover in the centre circle a couple of minutes later!

A few minutes later from another free kick, Clover had a wonderful effort on goal, which hit the underside of the cross bar and bounced out to safety leaving Stockport to thank their lucky stars.

Walton was then replaced by Davies whose pace and energy gave Stockport something to think about.

A mixture of good defending and poor heading saw Villa fail to grab their deserved equaliser attacking wise, whilst great defending by Saggs, Goode and Penny, who had reverted to a back three after Villa’s substitution, Stopped Stockport from going further in front on at least two occasions when Villa were left stretched by their lack of numbers, Masters came back on one occasion with a wonderful tackle to stop the advancing Stockport player with only 5 minutes remaining.

The game ended there with Stockport claiming all 3 points but with Villa holding their heads high as they showed they are force to be reckoned with even with 10 players, showing great team spirit and self pride to really take the game to Stockport.

Final score: Aston Villa 2-3 Stockport County

Team

Dobbins, Courtney (sent off 35 minutes), Saggs, Goode, Walton (Davies), Clover, Penny, Sharred, Masters, Gibson, Franklin.
Subs not used:- Yeomans, Brown