22 goals and 5 wins for the Ladies this weekend.
Harrogate 1 1-8 Fylde 1
Fylde Ladies 1s delivered a dominant performance on the road, securing an emphatic win against Harrogate to return to winning form in style.
From the first whistle, Fylde asserted their dominance, piling on the pressure and controlling possession. Their relentless attacking play was rewarded with an outstanding first-half hat-trick from Jess Wharton, setting the tone for a commanding display.
A composed and controlled midfield performance played a crucial role in Fylde’s dominance, with precise passing and intelligent movement keeping the team on the front foot throughout. Their creativity and link-up play provided the foundation for goals from Nicky Kellet, Grace McGarvey, and Megan Wildish, further cementing Fylde’s superiority.
At the other end, a solid defensive display ensured Harrogate had little opportunity to threaten, rounding off a complete team performance.
The final score was 8-1. With confidence high, Fylde now turn their attention to a crucial top-of-the-table clash against Leeds next weekend, where they will look to build on this momentum.
Fylde 2 0-0 Alderley Edge 2
Another big match day for Fylde Ladies 2 as they face one of the top-table teams in their group, Alderley Edge2. Fylde suffer an away defeat at Alderley Edge at the beginning of the season and the expectation was that this would be a tough return match on home soil. The minutes before the start of the match were tense, as we knew we had to put in a great performance to retain our league table position. Will we maintain our table position or go down a place?
Spring had delivered a sunny, dry and very welcome warm Saturday on top of the hill at Mill Farm. The Fans in the Stands were particularly appreciative of this positive change in the weather and they were hoping for a successful 70 minutes of play.
The starting whistle blows at 12:30 on the dot. A great start from a very confident Fylde team that applied pressure on Alderley Edge from the push back. An early pass to Izzy Mahon into Alderley Edge’s D gave Fylde their first shot at goal. However, the ball went wide. First 10 minutes of the match and an attacking Fylde side bring all the play to Alderley Edge’s half. 7 minutes into the game and Izzy Mahon get another shot at goal. This time in the air, but on target. A fantastic aerial save by the Alderley Edge Goalkeeper. Still no score. Keira Tomes passes to Sally Livesey who takes the ball into Alderley Edge’s D. 9 minutes into the game and the first short corner for Fylde. Sally to Grace Tomlinson but no shot on.
17 minutes in and Izzy Maylon, not feeling 100% but topped up with medicine and fully committed to play, delivers the ball to Olivia John-Haslam in Alderley Edge’s D. Olivia twists 180o onto the ball for a shot at goal but it goes wide. 1 minute later Sophia Murray passes to Keira in Alderley Edge’s D. Emma Savidge’s shot goes across Alderley Edge’s goalmouth and wide. Then, Frankie Margerison has a chance at goal that is saved by the Alderley Edge keeper who dives on the ball and kills it dead. 1 minute later, another Fylde shot by Olivia across the Alderley Edge goal but no one there to nudge it into the net.
So much attacking play from Fylde, so many opportunities in the opposition’s D, but fate and a great Alderley Edge keeper are denying Fylde a score.
20 minutes into the game and a rare visit to the Fylde half by Alderley Edge just after an attack by Fylde. EJ Dunkerley blocks an Alderley Edge shot with her stick, followed by an accidental foot tap to send the ball out and safe. Have Alderley Edge found their form?
25 minutes into the game, Sophia to Jayne Wilson and the play is back in Alderley Edge’s half. 30 minutes in and a long corner for Fylde, a shot to goal by Olivia but just wide of the right hand side post. 1 minute later, a pass from Izzy Mahon to Frankie, but no shot at goal on.
3 minutes left to half time and Alderley Edge hit a long shot into Fylde’s half and chase after it. EJ chases, Michelle Longton makes a fantastic blocking move and Sophia clears the ball wide and safe.
2 minutes left and Frankie takes the ball to Alderley Edge’s D, passes to Izzy who shoots. Wide again. Final minute of the first half and Alderley Edge pressing Fylde. Some frantic action close to the Fylde goal, but the ball is cleared just as the half-time whistle blows. A dominant half for a positive, attacking Fylde team, but their efforts are unrewarded.
13:15 and the second half whistle restarts play. Can Fylde capitalise on a very strong first half performance or will Alderley Edge come back strong after a half-time team talk? The Fans in the Stands are on edge.
First minute of the second half and Alderley Edge have a short corner. Sophia Murray clears it well and Sally Livesey takes the ball out of Fylde’s half. Ball to Keira Tomes to Chelsea Atkinson who shoots. Saved by the opposition keeper. Soon after Fylde have a short corner. Sally Livesey to Olivia John-Haslam who shoots, but the ball just goes past the wrong side of the right hand post.
5 minutes into the second half and Keira passes to Dawn Child who passes to EJ Dunkerley into Alderley Edge’s half. Alderley Edge steal the ball and run for the Fylde goal. A brilliant sliding save by Michelle who denies Alderley Edge first score. 1 minute later and Alderley Edge are shooting for goal again. They miss to the left hand side of the Fylde goal. Have Alderley Edge found a second wind?
10 minutes into the second half and a worrying spell for Fylde. Alderley Edge seem to be a different team compared to the first half and possession and play is more evenly balanced between both teams.
15 minutes into second half and a green card for Alderley Edge. Fylde unable to capitalise on the opposition being one player short for 2 minutes?
20 minutes gone and Alderley Edge, now with their full complement of players, are bring the game to Fylde. 5 chaotic minutes where the Fylde defence of Sophia, EJ and Sally try to stop the opposition from scoring. Eventually Fylde break out and are back in Alderley Edge’s half. Emma Savidge passes to Izzy Mahon for a shot at goal. No score!
5 minutes later and the tables are turned. Alderley Edge in Fylde’s half again, pushing forward. Again, the Fylde defence hold strong.
7 minutes to full time and Fylde are back in Alderley Edge’s half. Chelsea Atkinson passes to Emma Savidge for shot at goal. The shot is accurate, but the opposition goalkeeper makes the save. She has been kept busy today by the attack.
5 minutes to go and both teams are tired. Shot at Alderley Edge goal by Keira Tomes, but it goes wide. Alderley Edge make a long pass into the Fylde half. Dawn Child stops the Alderley Edge attack.
Last minute of the game and Alderley Edge are in Fylde’s D. Very tense. Fylde defence and mid-field all working hard to block the attack. No shot on. The final whistle blows.
Fylde 2 and Alderley Edge 2 draw without any score. Alderley Edge probably happier with the result than the Fylde. Alderley Edge’s goalkeeper undoubtedly kept Fylde off the scoreboard. However, Fylde can be extremely proud of a consistently strong performance with strength in goal, defence, mid-field and attack.
A huge thank you to Alderley Edge for being fantastic opponents and for providing an exciting 70 minutes of hockey and a big thank you to our Fylde Fans in the Stands for their now expected vocal support.
Another convincing performance from a strong Fylde team that displays superb teamwork, enjoys working together and continues to go from strength to strength. Fylde Ladies 2’s strong performance today helps them maintain their high position in the league.
Lancaster & Morecambe 1 1-4 Fylde 3
Saturday was a gorgeous day, the sun was out and left Fylde to do their team talk outside which makes a change to escaping from the rain. The 3s went into this match knowing they needed to come away with a respectable win against this opposition that haven’t had a win all season.
They used this to motivate them from the very first whistle, this was proved by Hermione Edwards slotting away the first goal as she slapped it top bins from a cross in within the first 3 minutes of the game.
Fylde kept their heads and put Lancaster and Morecambe under significant pressure throughout the whole game. The amount of chances on goal we had this week was incredible and this was all through passing round, using each other and releasing the ball early exactly like we had practised at training. Sophia Melling brought another goal to the score sheet at 20 minutes in, Fylde’s mindset was amazing and they knew they could get some more goals and win this match to release them from relegation zone.
The half time whistle went where again there really wasn’t much to change in the way we were playing as we were doing what was required of us to get lots of attacking play in.
Fylde had numerous attacking short corners throughout the whole match which they played cleverly and had so many near misses however Lancaster and Morecambe’s goalie made some very good saves to deny us more goals from these.
However 5 minutes into the second half Liz Johnson Parker managed to strike the ball from a short corner giving us a 3-0 advantage.
Lancaster and Morecambe left one player high in our defensive D which the defence did very well at dealing with all game. But after a sloppy side line ball this meant that it was 3 on 1 and the opposition managed to put the ball in the back of the net. This did not worry Fylde as they knew they could keep them from scoring again and continued to push up the pitch creating more and more pressure on their defence.
Issy Gut made a brilliant tackle around the half way line and used her rapid speed to run around their defensive line and yet again score Fylde another goal! With not long left to play Fylde continued to create more chances and more short corners but unfortunately weren’t able to score any more. Full time score was 4-1.
This was an amazing game for the 3s to take away this week, every single person on the team had a great game, now clear of relegation zone Fylde need to continue to try their best in the last coming weeks to get the best results they can to ensure we don’t drop back down.
This week there were numerous votes for player of the match including: Issy Gut, Abbie Southern, Jade Mottley, Sophia Melling and Abbie Warburton. It was a very close vote however the winner this week was a tie between Issy Gut and Abbie W.
Fylde 4 5-1 Garstang 3
On a warm sunny day, Fylde took on Garstang in what was a dominant performance from start to finish, coming away with a convincing 5-1 victory. From the opening whistle, Fylde showed their intent by pressing high and controlling the game.
The match began with Fylde looking dangerous from the outset. They won a series of short corners but were unable to convert. However, persistence paid off when they were awarded another short corner. Olivia Hartley-Smith played a well-timed pass to Ellie Hope, who calmly slapped the ball into the bottom corner of the goal, giving Fylde a deserved 1-0 lead.
Fylde’s second goal came from a fantastic solo run by Caroline Bell, who charged down the right wing before sending a perfectly placed cross into the penalty spot. There, Sara Tomlinson was waiting to powerfully slap the ball past the Garstang keeper, making it 2-0 at halftime.
The second half saw Fylde maintain their intensity with sharp passing and relentless pressing. One of the standout moments came when Camilla Wyles made a brilliant run from halfway into the D, unleashing a reverse shot that was heading towards the goal. Olivia Hartley-Smith, alert to the opportunity, tapped it in to make it 3-0.
Fylde continued to press forward, Ellie Hope drove with the ball past Garstang’s defenders before passing to Megan Hartley-Smith who was positioned perfectly at the penalty spot. Megan calmly pushed the ball into the net, extending Fylde’s lead to 4-0. There was another potential goal for Fylde when Olivia Hartley-Smith received the ball inside the D and unleashed a stunning reverse shot that sailed into the net. Unfortunately, the goal was disallowed due to an obstruction call on Garstang’s goalkeeper, but it was a moment of individual brilliance.
In the final stages, Fylde added one more goal. Caroline Bell received the ball from Hollie Guthrie, turned sharply, and confidently tapped it into the goal to make it 5-0. Garstang did manage to get on the scoreboard in the dying moments of the match, making it 5-1, but it was too little, too late, as Fylde cruised to a comprehensive win.
Fylde’s dominant performance showcased their attacking strength, and the team will be pleased with the solid display from all players.
Pendle Forest 3 3-1 Fylde 5
The 5s travelled to Pendle on an uncharacteristically sunny morning for a meeting with top of the table Pendle. Even Nikki “always wears a skin” Richmond had bare elbows on display. Like the 5s, Pendle had combined experience and youth in their team and both sides were looking determined at first pushback.
Fylde started well, moving the ball around and chasing back to defend against Pendle’s very fast runner on their right wing. But quite quickly, the combination of the sun in our eyes and hot, muggy temperatures made this game a bigger challenge than expected.
Niamh Smith and Sadie Atkinson worked well together in the midfield to provide chances to Sophia Taylor in the circle. Pendle’s defence were strong and successfully blocked most shots on goal. Fylde set the press consistently forcing Pendle down the line and running into Leah Richmond and Alice Bishop. Pendle used their speed to drive to the baseline and despite best efforts of Debbie McClelland and Dawn Peruzza, Pendle managed to slip a goal past keeper Faye Jackson.
Undeterred, Fylde started again, winning a number of short corners which failed to find the backboard. Fran Loffler-Thompson provided 5 minute water breaks by subbing on and off where required which was very appreciated!
The break for halftime was welcome and with only one goal down, Fylde were still in this. The second half saw more domination from Fylde with multiple attacking lines taken by Tilly Tomlinson but again, intercepted at the circle by a determined Pendle.
Shortly after the restart, Pendle won a short corner, which involved a short injection to a big hitter, who made it 2-0. Fylde were still not beaten, Hollie Twose and Hattie Tollerson had good opportunities in Pendle’s half and Sophia Taylor continued to hassle their defenders in the circle, looking for a Fylde goal. Pendle kept driving the attack down the lines and Megan Eccles kept shutting them down.
Sadie Atkinson worked hard getting back and relieving Pendle of the ball, dribbling from half way, into the circle and scoring an excellent goal that no one saw coming! Fylde continued to press but Pendle had got into their rhythm and scored their third despite best efforts of Faye Jackson who made some excellent saves in the last ten minutes.
Fylde had further chances in the circle but just couldn’t break past the experienced goalkeeper. A win for Pendle who will now be promoted to the next division.
A good game for Fylde, solid structure and determination displayed once again but beaten by a stronger side on the day.
Longridge Development 1-2 Fylde 6 Development
At the beginning of the week Fylde 6/Development had 6 players and a weekend game seemed a distant wish! By Friday we had 11 players and on Saturday the sun shone on a normally wet and windy Longridge hill.
Fylde fielded a finely balanced team of 6 youngsters and 5 adults - no substitutes! This caused consternation towards the end of the game as we had three adults in the team who had just played an arduous game in the sun at Pendle! Debbie, Dawn and Alice played until they nearly dropped and clever manipulation of the team structure enabled them to gain brief rest bites during the game.
Two 12yr olds, Penny Atkinson and Ella Blackburn, made their senior team debuts and easily won the respect of their teammates. Young Captain for the day, Faith McGillivray, took the role to heart and had a solid game in defence, whilst GK Faye played her second game in succession to support the club on the day!
Penny Atkinson opened the scoring with a fine high looping shot into the goal, something regularly seen on training nights but rarely seen on match days!
Longridge 3rds equalised before half time but Bella Asquith put the game to bed with a fine roll-out sweeping push which any team would be proud to score. Bella also went close many times and puts 100% into everything she does.
Fran had the rare opportunity of a full game, showing her deft skills and leading from the middle, whilst Julie put in an outstanding performance in the midfield.
Gabi Hopley-Sherratt completed the line up in her normal attacking role, making some splendid runs and crosses, as she was unable to make her normal team match.
The sun shone, the team won, and we go again on Sunday in a rearranged home match with another new line up!
Fylde 6 Development 2-0 Lancaster 3 (Sunday)
Fylde 6/Development team played their second match of the weekend on an increasingly sunny day at Mill Farm against Lancaster 3rd team.
It was a second win for Captain Faith McGillivray too as the young team, supported by seniors Heather and Alice, dominated periods of the match against a mixed opposition of seniors and juniors.
12yr old Alyssa Woodman opened the scoring with a well placed hard sweeping shot from a right hand side cross in the first half.
Then Sophia Taylor doubled the lead with a fine short corner strike from the edge of the D which gave them a 2-0 lead. This remained the score throughout the second half.
Faye Jackson played a fine game in goals, ensuring that clean sheet, and Alice took the central defensive role to allow Fran to do a spot of coaching.
Unusually, due to the previous day’s heat and subsequent dehydration issues for opposition players, the game was played in four quarters rather than two halves. This kept the supporters thinking and enabled all players to take that extra rest during the game.
It’s been a busy weekend for some of the Fylde players so we are ready for a rest next weekend when there is not a game for this increasingly improving and exciting team.
Fylde 1 C-C Garstang 2
Garstang couldn't field a team so forfeited the game and Fylde Men were awarded a 5-0 victory.
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