Rotherham started the brighter of the two teams, on a hot and stick day, played on an “artificial pitch”, which saw the visitors dominate the play.
It felt that it was only a matter of time before Rotherham scored and they did through Helen Lynskey midway through the first half, after a mix up in the TNS defence saw Lynskey capitalise and calmly side footed into an empty net.
The visitors were in control of this game until the 30 minute when they lost their influential midfielder Rachael Rutherford with an ankle injury.
The next 10 minutes saw TNS take a grip on the game through Rotherham’s disarray from the substitution of Rutherford and equalised after good build up work.
Five minutes before half time, Sarah Thickett scored on the far post, with a bullet header after an in swinging corner from youngster Nat Mason.
Mason herself miss a good chance, set up by Thickett but the keeper made a good save from the 16 year old.
Just on the stroke of half time, Kerry Jones brushed the crossbar with a header from a pin point free kick from Kerry Longstone.
Rotherham went in at half time 2-1 up.
The second half saw TNS camped in the visitors half and with possession dominated by the homesters, Rotherham had to “dig in” and defend for long periods.
The home team “plugged” away at the Rotherham defence but with the whole back for being dominant, TNS found it very difficult to “breach” their dogged defending.
Lynskey received a superb 35 yard pass from Longstone and was through on the keeper but place her lob wide, this being Rotherham chance in the whole of the second half.
Rotherham did score 5 minutes from the end though courtesy of an own goal by a TNS defender who was pressurised by Hayley Wood on the edge of her own penalty area, but the defender clipped her back pass straight over the keepers head to deflate the rest of the TNS team.
Rotherham finished 3-1 winners and went home with all three points.
Manager (Paul Durrands) comments:
I was particularly pleased with our performance, as after a long journey, on an artificial pitch and being very hot and humid.
I knew this game was going to be tough and it was.
TNS have a big advantage to any visiting team, as they train each week and play regularly on this artificial surface, and sometimes it showed in their passing, which at time was exceptional.
We played good football early on but after loosing Rachael Rutherford, we struggled as she influences long periods of our games with her passing and vision.
The second half was difficult for us, as we were on the back foot for just about all of it.
My back four were “immense” and for the first time since I’ve been back, the whole team defended as a unit, and wanted to win and fight for each other.
This gave me lot of satisfaction, and also the girls believe that they can now defend and more important they believe in themselves.
Our next home game is Wolverhampton Wonderers at home 27/9 K.O. 2pm.
Leave a Reply