Girls defeated In Third Pre-Season Encounter

By Freddie Bullen

Photos: Emily Murphy

The Bucks suffered defeat in their third pre-season encounter yesterday afternoon, as Maghull Ladies claimed a 3–1 victory despite a spirited second-half fightback from Bootle FC Women.

The opening half an hour was a fairly even affair, with both sides creating opportunities to take the lead. Bootle’s best chance fell to Darcie Taylor, who was played through brilliantly before seeing her effort narrowly miss the target.

However, the Bucks struggled to provide Taylor with enough service in and around the box, and Maghull soon took advantage. In the 33rd minute, a corner from the left wasn’t fully dealt with, allowing the hosts to whip the ball back into the area towards the far post. Following a scramble in the box and an excellent initial save from Izzy Cartwright, the Maghull forward reacted quickest to tap the ball off the post and into the net.

The goal gave Maghull a boost, and the hosts controlled much of the remainder of the half. Bootle went into the break trailing by a single goal.

The second half started in similar fashion, with Maghull doubling their advantage just 10 minutes after the restart. Their number five received the ball on the right before taking on new signing Jess Ross and winning a 50/50 challenge with Millie Davis. She then raced through on goal and fired into the bottom corner, leaving Darcey Beckett with little chance in the Bootle goal.

The second goal appeared to spark the Bucks into life, and Bootle began to create more chances. Jess Ross came close to pulling one back when she took matters into her own hands, unleashing a long-range effort from around 25 yards that bounced off the top of the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.

Bootle’s pressure eventually paid off as Tayla Castley pulled one back for the Bucks. A corner from the right was delivered into a dangerous area, and Castley rose highest to head the ball into the far corner, giving Bootle renewed hope of completing the comeback.

The Bucks continued to push forward and created further opportunities as they searched for an equaliser. However, despite their efforts, the comeback wasn’t to be. Maghull found a third goal in the 82nd minute to put the result beyond doubt and seal a 3–1 victory for the hosts.

The result gives the Bucks plenty to reflect on as pre-season continues, with the second-half response providing positives to take into the next fixture.