Maddi Frances-Creaser scored in the final minute of stoppage time to salvage a point in a pulsating 3-3 draw against Arnold Eagles Women at Shirebrook Academy on Sunday afternoon in the East Midlands Women’s Premier Division.
Mike Noon’s side levelled the game on three separate occasions in a rollercoaster ride of a second half which also saw goals for Millie Jebb-Geer and Emma Young.
While a draw will certainly be viewed as a disappointing result for Chesterfield Ladies considering the opposition are at the bottom of the table, Arnold Eagles Women must be given full credit for putting in a strong performance which came within a whisker of earning them all three points.
The hosts certainly dominated in terms of possession in the first half but failed to click when it came to the final third in a frustrating opening 45 minutes. Arnold’s defence were also well organised and made life difficult for Chesterfield’s front line. Due to this, there were few clear-cut chances in the first half in what was a scrappy affair. Emmi Cook and Gina Camfield both managed shots on target in the opening half an hour but the Arnold goalkeeper managed to save both efforts pretty comfortably.
Teenage centre-half Millie Jebb-Geer came closest to breaking the deadlock for Chesterfield Ladies in the 36th minute with an amazing 40 yard surging run which saw her power her way past a number of opponents. In a matter of a few seconds, Jebb-Geer went from holding the ball up in defence to shooting from the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately, her 18 yard effort was dragged wide but another moment of magic would be created by Jebb-Geer later on in the game which would have the outcome it deserved.
To the shock of everyone though, it was bottom of the league Arnold Eagles Women who took the lead from out of nowhere in the 42nd minute. A corner from the visitors found an unmarked Demi-Leigh Crofts and her free header found the back of the net via the underside of the bar. It set up a very interesting scenario for the second half and, for the neutral, the second 45 minutes certainly delivered in entertainment and drama.
The opening 15 minutes of the second half continued in the same vein as the whole first half until the match exploded into action for the final half an hour.
It took a jaw-dropping set-piece from Millie Jebb-Geer to get the Blues back onto level pegging at 1-1. Jebb-Geer must have been 35 to 40 yards away from goal but an immaculately struck free-kick saw the ball sail just out of reach of the Arnold goalkeeper and into the back of the net for a barely believable equaliser. This was Jebb-Geer’s second goal of the season contender inside the same week.
The visitors reacted excellently though to the setback and took the lead for a second time just five minutes later. The Blues failed to clear the ball following a free-kick delivery whipped in from the left wing and this allowed Tasha Leach to receive a smart pass and slot the ball home from close range to give Arnold a shock 2-1 lead.
The Blues equalised again just six minutes later during a breathless phase of the match. Gina Camfield saw a rocket of an effort smack off the bar but striker Emma Young was the quickest to react and poked the ball over the line from close range to make it 2-2 and claim her third goal of the season.
Remarkably, Arnold took advantage of more disappointing defending from a set-piece to go 3-2 up in the 75th minute of the game. A corner kick from the right flank caused the Blues defence further problems and Hannah Daniel was on hand to punish Chesterfield and side-foot the ball into the net from close range to give Arnold Eagles the lead yet again.
It looked as if Chesterfield’s last chance of a dramatic third equaliser had come and gone in the 88th minute when Millie Jebb-Geer (who had been pushed up front for the latter stages of the game) saw a well-struck 18 yard effort palmed away by the goalkeeper.
However, drama ensued following a corner kick for the hosts in the final minute of stoppage time. An excellent delivery into the penalty area caused pandemonium in the penalty area and it was midfielder Maddi Frances-Creaser who managed to get the vital touch from just a few yards out to drag the ball over the line and make it 3-3 with quite literally the last action of the whole match.
Chesterfield fans were sent into raptures at the incredible ending but Arnold Eagles were furious as they felt that too much stoppage time had been allowed to elapse by the referee which prevented them from claiming their first league victory of the 2022/23 campaign.
Chesterfield Ladies remain in second position in the East Midlands Women’s Premier Division but are now eight points behind leaders Notts County Women with two games in hand.
Chesterfield Ladies team: Watson, Cook, Warren, Jebb-Geer, Anderson, Pashley (c), Fidler, Frances-Creaser, Camfield, Baker, Purdy.
Used substitutes: Young, Williams.
Unused substitutes: Ratcliffe, Graham, Phillips.
Mike Noon Quotes:
“It was a brilliant game to watch – not from our point of view, but from a neutral perspective certainly. We were a little bit off the pace today and the decision making wasn’t as good as it should have been. The credit today has to be given to Arnold. They’ve come into this game at the bottom of the table and put in an absolutely brilliant performance. They really made us work to win a point today. We were very fortunate to come away with a point with the last kick of the game. We weren’t at the races for large parts of the game and, unfortunately, in a league where it’s very competitive, you get punished. I feel a little bit sorry for Arnold today because we’ve pinched one in the last minute to get an equaliser. I’m sure they’ll feel a little hard done by but we’ll take the point and run today.”
“We’re disappointed with the manner of the goals we conceded. We’re usually very good defensively. We haven’t conceded many goals all season. That’s something we’ll have a look at and address. Fair play to Arnold though, they created the opportunities with which to score, which we shouldn’t have allowed. If we were a bit more clinical at the other end, then we wouldn’t have given them the opportunities to get into the game. I’m disappointed but this might end up becoming a very important point.”
“I’ve praised the team for their resilience. It was good, they kept going and our players deserve a lot of credit for that…their work rate to keep going at the end is certainly something I’ve praised them for. Hopefully, we can add to our overall performance in our next game away at Basford United.”
“Unfortunately, with the position we’re in at the moment in the league and considering the position Arnold are in, it has to seen as two points dropped. But it was very nearly three points dropped. I know we’re all disappointed due to the very high standards that we set ourselves. We want three points in every league game.”
“We’ll have a few players back in the squad for the next game against Basford that missed out when we played Basford recently in the League Cup. So that will strengthen our position. They gave us a tough game last time out. We’ve got to prepare properly for it and go there for a win.”
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