Five star performance by Ladies

COLERAINE Ladies made a quick return to winning ways as they secured a 5-2 success against Armagh Ladies last night…

The fixture – which was played in Antrim due to an agreement between the two clubs – was an entertaining affair as there were five first-half goals!

However, strikes from Abby Alexander (2), Megan Alexander, Rachel Madden and Shairee McVey gave the Bannsiders all three points.

Speaking to colerainefc.com, Ladies manager Alison Nicholl, discussed the opening 45 minutes which saw her side let go of a three goal lead.

“We had worked on quite a few things on the training ground defensively after the defeat to Ballymacash,” she said.

“We were once again without Olivia Doherty who was playing Gaelic and Olivia Stewart who has moved back to live in England, so we are continuing to look for players.

“I made a few tactical changes and it worked well as we started the game brightly and dominated the play for the first 30 minutes.

“The first goal came within ten minutes for Abby Alexander to run through and finish into the bottom corner.

“The full-backs were having a lot of joy with overlapping and putting balls into the box and it was Megan Alexander who crossed the ball into the area and it ended up in the back of the net.

“The third goal came from a corner and Shairee McVey got on the end of it and put it away well.

“We were cruising at three nil up, we thought the game was more or less put to bed and thought we would net more goals.

“However, a lapse of concentration allowed Armagh to get back into the game as we conceded a sloppy goal and quickly after that Armagh continued to press and won a penalty which they dispatched into the corner.

“It was 3-2 at half-time and there was a rousing team talk as we dominated the first-half and gifted Armagh two goals to let them back into the game.”

Nicholl paid credit to Rachel Madden’s performance as she got on the scoresheet and knows how good her side can be if the attitude is at the required levels.

“I told the players at half-time to really want the game as we need the three points,” she continued.

“We came back out and started really well, with the first five minutes really competitive as Armagh were continuing to press and there were a lot of tackles.

“We defended well, got back on the ball and Rachel Madden drove in from the wing and slotted the ball into the corner to make it 4-2 which was pleasing as she worked hard all game.

“We pressed high, continued to link play really well and we were getting joy on the flanks.

“The fifth goal came when Armagh were trying to play out from the back and Abby punished them by closing the ball down and putting it into the net.

“We had chances after that but I am pleased to get back to winning ways after the Ballymacash defeat.

“It was a good team performance and the players’ attitude was spot on.”

The Bannsiders turn their attentions to a clash with Foyle Belles next week and Nicholl is fully aware of the task at hand for her side.

“We play Foyle Belles on Wednesday night and we hope to have Olivia Doherty back for that one,” she concluded.

“It will be a tough game as it will likely be between them and Larne for the title.

“We needed to get the girls’ heads up again for the Armagh game, there were a few tactical changes and they all stepped up and performed well, so we look forward to Wednesday.”

You can take a look at the league table and upcoming fixtures HERE.