WEYMOUTH 16

Ackerman 10’ 11’ 26’ 40’ 78’, Johnson 16’ 32’ 35,’ Beasley 24’ 46’ 48,’ B.Barnard-Irons 34’, Wilson 65’, Whiting 80’, Manktelow 84’, Howard 85’

GILLINGHAM TOWN 0

Dorset Women’s League (30/01/22)

Report: James Spring

Ruthless Terras Reach Summit

Utterly ruthless Weymouth made it 7 consecutive league wins as they steamrolled bottom side Gillingham to move top of the table on goal difference.

Tasha Sibley was able to name an unchanged squad from last weekend’s win over Redlands.

Weymouth began brightly and the first chance fell to Naomi Johnson on 5 minutes but she dragged her shot wide of the mark.

Two minutes later, Jody Sapsford hit a curling effort from the edge of the box which was well held by the Gillingham goalkeeper, before Beasley could only find the side netting after being sent through one v one by Whiting.

Weymouth’s early dominance told after 10 minutes when Dani Ackerman set off on a driving run through the Gillingham defence, before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting it home for 1-0.

Less than a minute later, Ackerman doubled the score – latching onto a Lily Beasley through ball and rolling it under the goalkeeper.

Ackerman would turn provider on 16 minutes when she skipped past two defenders before laying it off for Naomi Johnson in the middle of the box, and she rifled it into the top corner for 3-0.

Ackerman should have completed her hat-trick on 21 minutes when she found herself one on one with the goalkeeper, but with the whole goal to aim at she somehow dragged the shot wide.

The Terras wouldn’t have to wait long for the 4th goal though. On 24 minutes Lily Beasley reacted quickly to pick up a loose ball following a deflection off of a defender. She ran through and rolled it into the bottom corner.

Ackerman would then complete her hat-trick just a couple of minutes later finishing off a lovely move. Jody Sapsford lofted a ball perfectly into the path of Johnson who played it through to Ackerman first time, and Dani lashed it into the far corner of the goal to make it 5-0 after just 26 minutes.

Beth Barnard-Irons stung the goalkeeper’s palms with a powerful strike on the half-hour mark, before Weymouth were awarded an indirect free-kick after the goalkeeper handled a back-pass.

Ackerman laid it off for De Havilland who hit a powerful strike towards goal, and Naomi Johnson got the faintest touch to direct it home from a couple of yards out to have Weymouth 6-0 up.

Beth Barnard-Irons then got on the scoresheet with a powerful strike across goal from Ackerman’s pass, and less than a minute later Johnson got a toe onto Ackerman’s cross to poke home for her hat-trick.

Ackerman was absolutely bossing the show, and she had her 4th goal of the afternoon on 40 minutes when Emma Potter drove forwards and poked it through the middle of the defence for Dani to slot home.

Johnson almost had her 4th too just before the break when she hit a shot over the bar from Ackerman’s lay off, as Weymouth took a commanding 9-0 lead into the break.

Any thoughts of Weymouth taking their foot off the gas went out the window just seconds after the restart as Tasha Sibley split the defence with a lovely through ball, and Lily Beasley ran onto it and finished from around 12 yards to make it 10-0.

And a couple of minutes later Beasley made it a hat-trick of hat-tricks for the Terras as she finished off another Ackerman through ball.

On 50 minutes Gillingham came close to a goal when a shot from the edge of the box struck the post and was cleared to safety.

Shakira Howard managed to beat the offside trap but fired wide of the mark, before Charlie Wilson forced a good save following a driving run from the channel.

On the hour mark, Kristina Manktelow dispossessed a Gillingham winger and set off on a brilliant run of some 70 yards that took her all the way to the edge of the box, but her final touch took the ball slightly away from her and in the end she could only poke the ball tamely into the goalkeeper’s gloves.

On 65 minutes a 12th goal for Weymouth would arrive when Charlie Wilson prodded home Ackerman’s corner at the front post, via a deflection off of a defender.

Wilson could have had a second goal 5 minutes later when she intercepted a goal kick and let fly from around 25 yards, but the goalkeeper did well to hold onto the shot.

Emma Potter then set off on another surging run that took her all the way to the byline. She tried to pull the ball back for Howard in the middle of the box but the goalkeeper just managed to get a fingertip to the ball to knock it to safety.

On 78 minutes player-manager, Tasha Sibley struck the post with a shot from the edge of the box, but Ackerman was on hand to pick up the pieces and finish from close range for her 5th of the afternoon.

And the scoring wasn’t finished, as the ruthless Terras added 3 more goals in the next 5 minutes.

Kayleigh Whiting notched her second of the season when Gillingham failed to clear a corner properly. The ball bounced off of a defender, and Whiting was able to get her boot to the ball and it looped over a defender on the line for 14-0.

Becca De Havilland was then inches away from a second goal in as many games when she fired Wilson’s drag-back narrowly wide of the post, before Kristina Manktelow emulated De Havilland by scoring her first goal for the club – rolling it past the goalkeeper into the far corner.

The final goal was another signature chip over the goalkeeper from Shakira Howard from Jody Sapsford’s quickly taken throw-in.

It really should have been 17-0 in the final minute when Howard set Johnson free with a lovely back-heel, but the goalkeeper made a good save to deny Johnson with what proved to be the final action of the game.

It was a comfortable afternoon for Weymouth who really dominated from the start. Gillingham have had a difficult season and they were always going to be up against it. But you can only beat what’s in front of you, and the Terras did so in emphatic fashion.

The win moves them top of the table on goal difference ahead of Poole Town Reserves and Merley Cobham Sports, both of whom they still have to play once and twice respectively.

The hard work of staying top of the table starts next Sunday with what promises to be a difficult game away to Redlands Rebels, where the Terras will need to be at their very best to keep the run going.

Terras: Osment, Potter, Whiting, C.Barnard-Irons, de Havilland, Sapsford, Manktelow, Beasley, B.Barnard-Irons, Ackerman, Johnson.

Subs on:  Howard, Sibley, Wilson.