Match Report - Lockwood Park Dragons 1
01/03/08: Didsbury Greys 3 vs 7 Lockwood Park Dragons
DRAGONS TURN UP THE HEAT IN 7 GOAL THRILLER
Lockwood Park travelled away to recently demoted Didsbury Greys at the weekend looking to secure 3 points on an unfamiliar water-based pitch (Belle Vue, Manchester). But any concerns the Dragons had about the pitch were put aside early on as they won a short corner in the first minute of the game; an ariel shot forced a good save from the Didsbury keeper and Turner was on hand to slot the rebounded ball into the goal. For twenty minutes Lockwood increased the pressure and could have scored again but Didsbury held strong and finally broke loose to score a levelling goal. Their jubilation was short lived, a ball from Lockwood's defence to Sarah Blackburn gave her the chance to run at Didsbury, beating 2, 3 defenders as she drove the ball left and sent a beautifully weighted ball into the D for oncoming striker Nikki Turner to put past the keeper. A third goal from Amanda Sowerby gave the Dragons a 3-1 lead, but a cheeky incident just before half time almost added to the injury list as Amanda Sowerby took a deflected ball in the face.
Second half and the dragons turned up the heat with 4 more goals, Sowerby added a second to her tally, Mandy Armitage found the net, and star player Sarah Blackburn brought down an ariel pass beating the Didsbury keeper as she moved before netting the ball with a diving reach at the right hand post. A further goal for Blackburn took the tally to seven, whilst Didsbury took advantage to claw two goals back making the final score 3-7. An injury stricken season could see the Dragons finish 5th in the league but with performances like this you have to wonder what could have been...?
Squad: Townend, Gerrard, Benson, Smith, Smeaton, Fillingham (c), Sowerby, Armitage, Hough, Turner, Blackburn, Davies, Dexter