By Charlie Hopper | Image by Andy Standing
The MinsterBelles returned to the LNER Community Stadium on Wednesday night as they hosted Doncaster Rovers Belles in front of 604 spectators.
Chris Holloway named an unchanged side for the game, with new signing Lenni Hodgson taking her place on the bench. His side started the game on the front foot and came close to taking the lead when Jess Holder directed a header towards goal only for it to be caught by Ellie Sharpe. In the 22nd minute, Milly Ash drove towards the defence before moving to her left and firing a shot straight into the arms of Sharpe. The deadlock was broken in the 32nd minute when Ash unleashed a strike from the edge of the area, and it sailed past Sharpe to give her side a deserved lead. Becky Sidwell was then called into action, straight after the restart, when Jasmine Saxton latched onto a through ball, but her shot was saved by the MinsterBelles keeper. The final action of a pulsating first-half fell to Jess Tugby-Andrew, who fired her shot over the bar.
Doncaster Rovers Belles made a change at half-time, in search of a way back into the game. The changed seemed to have worked, when Lindsey Tugby-Andrew fired wide of Sidwell’s far post in the 47th minute. The MinsterBelles then doubled their advantage in the 51st minute when Sophie Tinson played the ball into the path of Ella Duffield and she curled into the far corner. Just minutes later, it was almost 3-0, when Tinson directed a header towards the bottom corner only for Sharpe to get down quickly and push it clear. Holder then unleashed a powerful shot towards goal in the 59th minute but that was also saved by Sharpe.
In the 74th minute, the visitors halved the deficit through Saxton. She raced onto a through ball before slotting the ball past Sidwell. The game was level just two minutes later when Saxton latched onto a cross from Holly Housley and bundled the ball past Sidwell to make it 2-2. Deep into additional time, the visitors had the chance to snatch a late winner. Sidwell tipped a strike from Barlow onto the crossbar before Phoebe Sneddon’s header hit the post and was cleared.
The result means that the MinsterBelles are only one point a drift of safety, as they take a break from league action on Sunday, with a trip to York RI in the semi-final of the County Cup.