Our ladies team succumbed to a surprising 4-1 defeat against Leicester City Women at One Call Stadium this afternoon.
After a goalless first half, the visitors took the lead when Holly Morgan converted at point-blank range prior to the hour mark.
Katie Lowder, Kim Farrow and Summer Pratt sealed the win for The Foxes, before Emma Allen grabbed a consolation for The Stagettes.
The match was played in wet and windy conditions, on what was a thoroughly miserable afternoon in North Nottinghamshire.
The Stagettes had shot-stopper Emma Horsnall to thank for keeping the scores level early on, as she brilliantly kept out a drive from Rebecca Kemp in a one-on-one situation.
Farrow then fired wide as The Foxes started to dictate play, whilst The Stagettes’ Kirsty Walton also had to make a vital last-ditch interception to prevent Chanelle Edkins.
The visitors should have gone ahead on 25 minutes, when Eleanor Towers found an unmarked Edkins on the edge of the six-yard box, who blazed horribly over.
Moments later, Farrow wasted yet another gilt-edge, as she capitalised on some slack defending by The Stagettes, but fired wide in a one-on-one.
Farrow came close again on 36 minutes, when she wrestled away from Catherine Davie on the edge of the area, but flashed a low shot wide.
The Stagettes almost broke the deadlock shortly after the re-start, as Walton’s corner reached Becky Davis at the back-post, who stabbed an effort wide.
But in stormy conditions at One Call Stadium, the visitors took the lead on 56 minutes.
Kemp whipped a teasing cross into the six-yard box, and after Horsnall failed to claim the ball, Morgan was able to stab the ball home.
However, The Stagettes almost drew level instantly, as Jemma Douglas rattled the post with a stinging right-footed effort, following some good work by Georgina Williams.
But Leicester doubled their advantage as Lowder hit a low drive into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the area.
Matters then went from bad to worse for as The Foxes struck again on 65 minutes, when Farrow into the net, having already rounded Horsnall
By now, the match had become a case of damage limitation for The Stagettes, and Leicester showed no mercy whatsoever.
Pratt heaped more misery on our ladies, when she latched onto a through ball from Kemp and fired past Horsnall, to make it 4-0.
With 15 minutes remaining, The Stagettes pulled a goal back as Gemma Hodgkinson’s clever near-post cross was powerfully headed home by Allen.
