Our ladies team are safe from relegation in the Midland Combination League, following a brilliant 1-0 victory over Rotherham United at One Call Stadium this afternoon.
Charlotte Montgomery grabbed the all-important goal on 24 minutes, when she latched onto Catherine Davie’s low left-wing cross and placed a cool effort into the bottom-right corner.
On a sunny, but breezy afternoon in North Nottinghamshire, the visitors began strongly and created several openings in the early exchanges.
Only three minutes had elapsed when Amy Pollock had a bouncing 20-yard shot saved by Emma Horsnall, who also did well to palm away Charley Evans’ sweetly-struck soon afterwards.
Rotherham continued to press forward in search of an opener, but Evans should have done much better when she wildly blazed over from the edge of the six-yard box.
The Stagettes let slip a gilt-edge opening on 20 minutes, when Becky Braithwaite accelerated down the left flank and played a teasing ball across the six-yard, but nobody was able to convert.
Nevertheless, our ladies made a crucial breakthrough just moments later as Montgomery latched onto Davie’s low pass, before peeling away from her marker and slotting home.
The Stagettes’ showed a steely grit and determination throughout and nearly made it 2-0 shortly after the re-start, when Jemma Douglas’ exquisite half-volley was tipped onto the crossbar by Hannah Cottam.
Rotherham were still very much alive and would have equalised on the hour mark had it not been for Emma Horsnall, who pulled off a stunning point-blank save to turn Jade Rabjohn’s goal-bound effort onto the upright.
The visitors’ threat suddenly became more frequent and Pollock went close with a curling right-foot shot from 20 yards, which flew just inches wide of the target.
With the match on a knife-edge, Montgomery almost settled the Stagettes’ nerves when her looping half-volley beat the visiting ‘keeper, but agonisingly ricocheted off the crossbar.
The closing stages were predictably tense and nail-biting as Rotherham continued to seek a leveller, but our ladies held on to deservedly secure survival.
Team: Horsnall, Braithwaite, Davis, Bridge, Walton, Davie, Hard (Unthank), Bodle (Potter), Allen, Douglas, Montgomery (Hawkins).
