NEEDHAM MARKET WOMEN ARE BACK TO WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD

Needham Market Women returned to winning ways with a comfortable 4-0 victory away at newly promoted AFC Dunstable.

It was a dominate first half for the away side with goals from Hayley Kindred and Paige Wakefield, but it could and should have been more.

And the second was much of the same with another two strikes adding to the scoreline with Lina Nagib and Lois Balfour adding gloss to a comfortable win.

After defeat last week, Warren Lewis-Claxton made several changes to freshen up his side with a first start for forward Lucy Loomes and new full back Summer Ward – having only signed last week – coming straight in to make an impressive debut.

The Suffolk side started the better but had no clear-cutchances until the first goal after just 11 minutes when a brilliant team move was finished off by a sublime assist from Leilah Gooding and a beautiful calm finish by Kindred into the bottom corner.

It was a then a tail of missed chances and some stubborn defending as Needham failed to add to their dominance.

Molly Hall had two wonderful chances with one powerful drive clearing the crossbar and then dragging a shot when through on goal.

Wakefield is always a threat with her powerful right boot, and she warned our opponents with one that crashed off the bar but she soon put that right with some great close skill to engineer a powerful drive into the top corner just on halftime.

It was a similar story in the second period although early on the home side had a couple of chances, but Evie McKane remained alert to make a smart diving stop for one of them.

Chances continued to come with the goalkeeper denying Nagib and Mia Etheridge-Golding, but Nagib wasn’t to be denied as she rounded the keeper after being played in by Hall and knocked it into the empty net.

More chances came with the woodwork denying Needham again as Loomes powerful hit rebounded off the keeper onto the post and fortuitously back into her relieved arms.

Ellie Rossiter started the move for the final goal with adriving run from deep and a pinpoint ball into Etheridge-Golding, who smartly found Balfour to make it four, job done and back to winning ways.