Chesterfield Ladies drew 1-1 against Lincoln United Women at Ashby Avenue on Sunday afternoon to secure the point they needed to finish in second position in the East Midlands Womens Premier Division. A 36th minute goal from Elise Keyworth put the Whites in the driving seat to leapfrog Mike Noon's side and pip them to second place but Georgina Williams's clever lob over the goalkeeper midway through the second half secured a very impressive runners-up spot for the Spireites Ladies.
The draw also meant that Mike Noon's side were unbeaten in their last 12 competitive games of the 2021/22 season. Strangely enough, their last defeat was a humbling 4-0 loss to Lincoln United Women at Ashby Avenue back in January in the East Midlands Womens League Cup. The fightback to earn a point away against tough opponents capped off an excellent debut season for the club in the fifth tier of the English women's football pyramid.
The first half was a tight affair between two very well matched teams. The hosts could have taken the lead though as early as 30 seconds into the game when a rapid effort from 15 yards out was well saved by Spireites goalkeeper Nicolle Watson.
After the first 20 minutes where Lincoln were edging the game, Chesterfield's tactics of attempting to break quickly on the counter soon began to cause Lincoln's defence a few problems. A trademark long-range effort from Amy Pashley just before the half hour mark was very well struck and forced Lincoln goalkeeper Katy Gilbert into an excellent save to tip the ball over the bar.
It was during Chesterfield's best spell of the first half though, that Lincoln managed to break the deadlock. A very long ball from Lincoln's back line put the Spireites defence under pressure and Elise Keyworth was on hand to expertly guide the ball over Watson with a looping effort from 15 yards out and into the back of the net. It was a sucker-punch of a goal to have conceded for Mike Noon's side, considering the very positive spell they'd had in the previous ten minutes. The first half could have ended worse for Mike Noon's side. A long-range free-kick for Lincoln ended up crashing off the bar in the 44th minute before a close range effort was dragged wide when Lincoln probably should have doubled their advantage.
The Spireites Ladies maintained their focus though and put in a strong second half performance to salvage a point and came close to ending the season with all three points on the road.
Forward Georgia Willson came on for Hannah Baker early on in the second half and put in a good performance to help the Spireites secure second position in the league. Her driving runs and willingness to close down defenders caused Lincoln more problems and allowed other opportunities for the Chesterfield attackers when in the final third.
Gina Camfield came very close to finding an equaliser in the 58th minute when her 20 yard effort landed on the roof of the net following a poor clearance from Katy Gilbert in Lincoln's goal.
The Derbyshire outfit kept up the pressure and maintained their high tempo and were duly rewarded in the 66th minute when Georgina Williams's pace allowed her to chase down an excellent through ball from Hannah Baker ahead of two Lincoln defenders. With just Gilbert to beat, Williams coolly lobbed the ball over the oncoming keeper from 15 yards out and the ball rolled into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.
Chesterfield Ladies came as close as you could possibly get to taking the lead in the 76th minute. Substitute Georgia Willson's close range effort cannoned off the underside of the bar and the ball landed plumb on the goal line before being cleared away by Lincoln's defence.
Despite being the better team in the second half, Lincoln almost found a winner in the 87th minute when a stinging shot from the edge of the area was well saved by Watson. The Spireites Ladies saw the game out impressively though and fully deserved the point on the road to finish the 2021/22 season in second position for an excellent debut season in the East Midlands Womens Premier Division.
A special mention must be given to defender Sammy Stokes who played her final ever game following her recent decision to retire as a football player. Stokes put in an excellent performance at the back and it was a fantastic end to her career at Chesterfield Ladies; a club she joined when she was only 14 years old.
Chesterfield Ladies team: Watson, Warren (Frances-Creaser 78), Abercrombie, Stokes, Cook, Pashley, Baker (Willson 54), Standen, Fidler, Camfield, Williams. Unused subs: Murray, Marshall, Nuttall.
Mike Noon Quotes:
"We're obviously happy with the point, so I'm not too worried about the result. On reflection, we created a lot of good chances and on another day, I think we could have scored a couple more. We're disappointed with the goal that we conceded; we gifted that opportunity for Lincoln to score. Credit to the players though in the second half: we came out and dug deep to find it within ourselves to get the equaliser. It was a bit nitty-gritty in the second half, a few verbals between the dugouts but that's part of football. The players did really well, they worked hard. Made some great last-ditch tackles and the finish from Georgina Williams was excellent."
"We felt like we were the best team for most parts of the first half as well. We went in 1-0 down but it was a very calm and relaxed changing room. We spoke about a few things that we thought we could do better. I mainly just talked about the importance to keep working hard and that we would get more opportunities. We're chuffed to bits with second position in the league."
"This season has been a learning journey for us. Not just for the players but for us as coaching staff too. There's been some tough away games to travel to where we've not performed quite as well as we should have done. We've dug deep to claim some of the points we got. Next year, with some additions which we're quite confident of securing, we should have a really good squad. At times this season, we probably lacked a bit of depth. With a bit more quality and a bit more strength in depth next year, it gives us a good chance to push on for the title hopefully next season and secure promotion which is what we're all wanting to do."
"We know we've got a really good set-up. We've got really good players and some really good people behind the scenes which allows us to operate at the level that we do...if we can get this club into the fourth tier from where we were four years ago, it would be a remarkable achievement. That's the next part of the process: get promoted next season and really kick on from there."
"Sammy Stokes has been unbelievable for the club. Not just while I've been here but before that too. She's been at the club since she was 14. She's not played for anyone else. She played week in, week out for us when we played at county level. She's the sort of player that deserves days like today where we've clinched second place in the fifth tier. She's been everything that we've ever asked her to do. She's been a rock off the pitch; giving her advice and lending support. She could have played for a few more years. She made some really important tackles today. I can't thank her enough for everything she's done for us. I wish her all the best with her retirement and I'm sure we'll see her supporting us from the sidelines next season."