Women's Report: Durham 1-0 Saints
Full report as Durham hit late to deny Southampton FC Women a winning end to 2023.
A slow first half saw half chances for both sides, but no real breakthrough or clear domination. Durham did well to read Saints’ style of play, while Saints were able to mop up the home side’s forays forward.
The deadlock was broken by Durham in injury time, crushing Saints' hopes of ending 2023 with three more points on the board, Amy Andrews scoring for the home side.
It was an exceptionally windy Maiden Castle Sports Centre that was the venue for Saints’ final game of 2023, with Marieanne Spacey-Cale’s side looking to cement their place in the top three of the Barclays Women’s Championship table.
Coming off the back of a scrappy win against Portsmouth Women in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, Durham posed a physical and experienced threat.
Durham were the first side with an eye on goal, as some less than convincing defending saw the home side race into the box. Seeing Bethany Howard off her line, a speculative shot with the outside of the boot dropped wide.
There was a break to play as Jemma Purfield went down in some pain in the 8th minute, the referee eventually stopping play for the left-back to receive treatment. An important member of Saints’ defence, the no.21 was deemed as fit to continue.
Katie Wilkinson tried her luck from distance in the 11th minute, seeing Tatiana Saunders off her line in the Durham goal, but the keeper was untroubled.
Ella Morris almost unleashed a Saints counter attack in the 14th minute, quicker to react to Durham’s poor corner delivery and racing the ball up to the halfway line, only to see her pass across to Lucia Kendall cut out.
It was an even affair as the first half wore on, with both sides enjoying periods of possession, but neither able to break down the other defensively.
Morris looked the brightest for Saints, linking up well to unlock space on the wing, but Durham were resolute in their battles, preventing any real chances.
Alice Griffiths headed goalward from a corner in the 40th minute with both sets of fans thinking the deadlock had been broken, but Saunders emerged with the ball clamped in her gloves.
With five minutes added on, Saints were moving the ball the best that they had been all game, with neat play seeing them progress into shooting positions, without being able to find the net.
It was a physical but balanced first half at Maiden Castle.
Saints struggled to get hold of the ball in the opening five of the second half, and the stop start nature of the game was only exacerbated by Morris going down again, receiving treatment from the physios.
It was the end of Morris' afternoon, with Megan Collett returning from injury to take her place in the 49th minute.
Lily Crosthwaite was making a nuisance of herself down the right-hand side for Durham, with Paige Peake having to mop up just after the 60th minute as the pace winger raced into space.
Molly Pike was on the end of a wonderfully placed Wilkinson ball soon after, latching onto a ball forward before slamming a shot goalward - only to see it blocked.
Marieanne Spacey-Cale made further changes in the 73rd minute with Molly Pike and Katie Wilkinson making way for Atlanta Primus and Emily Kraft.
Kraft nearly latched onto a cross in soon after, but didn't make a good enough connection, her shot sailing high and away from the target.
Dean looked like she was going to provide the moment of magic as the clock hit 85 minutes, racing into the box, but her cross was high, evading her fellow Saints.
Howard was called into action in the 90th minute as a ball through the central areas looked like it was going to fall kindly for the home side, but the keeper did well to close down.
Peake was called into a similarly important block just afterwards, as a Durham shirt unleashed a shot inside the box, with the Saints no.24 flying in to deny.
With ten minutes indicated for addition time, Spacey-Cale made another change up top, with Emma Thompson replacing Rianna Dean.
Durham fans erupted in the 90+5th minute as Amy Andrews raced into the box and finished high into the top of the net over Howard.
With less than five minutes to play, it was too much for Saints to bring back, ending a strong 2023, with a chance to rebuild over the Christmas break and go fresh again in January, with Adobe Women's FA Cup action first on the agenda.
Durham XI: Saunders, Briggs, S. Wilson, Robson, Hepple, Lambert, Crosthwaite, Pritchard (Andrews, 70'), Ayre, E. Wilson, Noonan.
Substitutes unused: McAloon, Salicki, Nicholson, Ryan-Doyle, Holmes.
Saints XI: Howard, Purfield, Peake, Parnell ©, Mott, Morris (Collett, 49'), Griffiths, Kendall, Pike (Primus, 73'), Dean (Thompson, 90+3'), Wilkinson (Kraft, 73').
Substitutes unused: Rafferty, Milne, Wynne, Pharoah.
Attendance: 1081