Quality Second Half Performance Secures Comfortably Victory

With almost a full squad to choose from, the home side showed their attacking intent straight from the start, with Bygrave having a shot saved in the first minute after good work down the right from Larkins and Holloway, then Birchall taking the ball into penalty area went down in a tussle with a Kettering defender, only for the referee to penalised the Wroxham player.

Despite having majority of the early play and chances, it was the visitors who came closest to scoring when a lobbed ball past the home defence was latched on to by the winger, whose shot clipped the outside of the post.

The home side continued to push forward at every opportunity and when Bygrave’s cross was fumbled by the keeper, the follow up from Birchall was deflected for a corner, then Bygrave had a shot saved, before firing over from another effort.

However, it was the visitors who stunned the hosts by taking the lead on 22 minutes against the run of play. A long ball to just outside of the penalty area was well controlled and fired over Fullbrook in the Wroxham goal to give the Poppies a 1-0 lead.

Within 6 minutes, Wroxham had levelled the scores. Parker found Birchall who beat her marker and slotted the ball into the corner of the goal, although the home sides joy was short-lived, when the unfortunate Parker under pressure attempting to clear the ball rifled the ball into her own goal.

In the final stages of the half, Bygrave won a challenge just outside of the away penalty area, the loose ball falling to Birchall, whose shot just went past the post, before in added time, Holloway fired just over after Cooper’s cut back, as the visitors went into the break with a slender 2-1 lead.

Rowland replaced Hoy for the start of the second half and all the pressure once again came from the home side, which paid off when Wroxham were awarded were awarded a penalty after Rowland was brought down; however, her spot-kick cleared the cross-bar.

The home side continued to push forward and were rewarded in the 56th minute, when Birchall picked up a poor clearance and threaded a through ball to Leach who beat the keeper from an acute angle to level the scores. Six minutes later, Wroxham took the lead for the first time. Cooper lofted the ball over the Kettering defence and Leach completed her brace firing home a half volley from 18 yards out.

It was almost all one-way traffic, although a rare Poppies attack saw a shot straight at Fullbrook, but on 74 minutes it was 4-2 to the hosts. Good play between Birchall and Holloway saw the latter play the ball inside to Bygrave who shot over the keeper into the roof of the goal. Five minutes later, it was Bygrave’s turn to complete her brace, when rifling a loose ball into the top corner from 25 yards.

Holloway who had been a constant threat to the visitors all game with her pace down the right flank, finally got her reward, with a goal 8 minutes from time. Latching on to a long ball from Parker, she lobbed the ball over the keeper which came back off the cross-bar before slotting the rebound past the keeper.

Brister and Mungham-Gray replaced Birchall and Leach for the final few minutes and the last play of the game saw Rowland narrowly wide with an effort as Wroxham comfortably saw off their opponents 6-2, to earn a home draw against local rivals Wymondham Town in the first qualifying round in 3 weeks’ time.

Wroxham Women: C Fullbrook, A Larkins, N Cooper, K Pasque, C Shields, G Parker, K Holloway, B Bygrave, G Birchall, E Leach, M Hoy. Subs used: A Rowland, R Brister, O Mungham-Gray. Unsed: A Bell, L Bullard, V Pleavin.