Fulham Women win tense first Tier 3 match
A packed Motspur Park sees Ellie Olds snatch victory with an injury time winner. Jess Winstanley reports…
Something special is happening at Motspur Park.
Fulham women showed the same grit and determination that has seen them win back-to-back promotions to clinch a win in their opening fixture against Portsmouth.
With almost the last touch of the game, Ellie Olds’s brave close range header gave Fulham a 1-0 victory over a team who were two divisions above them last season.
It was a dramatic finish to a game that was somehow still goalless going into injury time. Fulham had hit the post twice but had also survived through some last ditch defending at the other end as Portsmouth threatened to take the game in a frantic second half.
Head Coach Steve Jaye made one enforced change to his starting XI from the last pre-season friendly against Rugby Borough. Leeta Rutherford, a defensive midfielder, came in for Stella Gandee Morgan who was seen hobbling on the sidelines with crutches. Stella is rumoured to have an ACL injury from a training incident in the last week and will be a big miss for Fulham in the coming games.
From kickoff, Pompey looked fast, with number 12, Sofia Mallon, immediately standing out on the left wing. A new signing for Portsmouth, Mallon had won Young Player of the Year at Rugby Borough, where she had been top goal scorer. Our defensive line held up though, with Olivia Dale showing good skills on the side and new goalkeeper Jess Gray, poached from Portsmouth in the close season, making two good saves within the first three minutes.
At the front, Rianna Dean won a free kick early on, held up the ball well and her running constantly pressed the opposition. She’s clearly a great new energetic signing for Fulham. The same should be said of Charlie Estcourt, another player signed from Portsmouth, whose tenacious approach has made an immediate impact. Charlie had the best moment in attack in the first half as her shot hit the post.
Portsmouth tweaked their formation going into the second half with Mallon operating more centrally. Fulham were pushed back and did well not to concede. This opening was a taste of things to come with Portsmouth on top throughout the majority of the second half. Becky Stormer and new signing Harley Bennett at the heart of the defence repelled a number of Portsmouth attacks.
Fulham’s attacking threat came mainly on the break. Half way through the second half, Leila Lister came on for Anna Grey, and her direct running down the right ahead of Olivia Dale led to a shot against the Portsmouth post. On the left Beau Parker replaced Sophie Gillies.
To shore up the defence, Annie Rolf came on for Izzy Milne and immediately clattered into the post as another Portsmouth shot crossed the box.
The fourth official held up three minutes added time. Portsmouth were pushing for the winner and had a further three corners. But Fulham were not done yet. Ellie Olds came on for Rianna Dean as Fulham changed the angle of attack. As Portsmouth partially cleared, a cross from Beau Parker was met at close range by Ellie Olds for the winner.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Becky Stormer said post-match that the team needed to show that they could compete at this level. They certainly did that. Portsmouth are a full-time team with a number of former WSL players and new signings. This was a great start to the season.
The crowd at Motspur Park was larger than we have seen in recent years, with a big away contingent from Portsmouth. The fans - including new men’s coach Álvaro Arbeloa watching from the sidelines - were treated to a tense and dramatic match. The Portsmouth fans sang Play Up Pompey but it was Fulham cheers at the end.