IPSWICH TOWN 1-3 GILLS LADIES
By Chris Dicketts
Gills Ladies moved to within just one win of securing the League title on Sunday as they came from behind to beat Ipswich.
Showing the effects of such a hard earned Kent Cup victory on Thursday the Gills trailed at half time before a fantastic second half fight back.
The Goals came from the returning Deanna Cooper, an own goal and a goal from young striker Charlotte Abbott.
Manager Ian Varley was forced into one change with Deanna Cooper replacing the injured Ashlee Hincks.
The Gills started the game quite brightly and created a number of good half chances in the first 15 minutes of the game.
Natalie Crinean had a couple of attempts on goal but tellingly for the Gills striker she just couldn't quite find the back of the net.
The windy conditions were not helping either team and with the ball in the air for much of the first half it didn't make for the best of spectacles.
In the 25th minute Ipswich took the lead against the run of play when a strike after 25 minutes flew into the top corner past Katie Duffy.
That is how the score stayed in the first half despite the Gills doing their level best to back into the game; they just couldn't quite find that killer ball.
Half Time 1-0
Ian Varley changed tactics in the second half with Deanna Cooper moving out wide left and once again it worked for the manager.
She made an instant impact playing out wide. In the 49th minute Natalie Crinean fired a ball across goal that Deanna latched onto and expertly finished with her left foot.
By this time the Gills were really starting to assert their dominance on the game and restricted Ipswich to one effort on goal in the entire of the second half.
The addition of fresh legs to the game was exactly what the Gills needed just on the hour mark and they kicked on and got the win they deserved.
In the 68th minute Danni Farmer swung a great ball into the Ipswich area and they failed to clear their lines, and an Ipswich defender deflected the ball into her own net, past a helpless goalkeeper.
The Gills were really pushing on at this point and they created a number of half chances through Rachel Ahern, Natalie Crinean and Deanna Cooper.All three of them though found the goalkeeper equal to their efforts and keeping her side in the game.
The points were made safe in the 83rd minute when Danni Farmer who had been one of the start players for the Gills all afternoon picked out Charlotte Abbott. The striker who had come on for Rachel Ahern 15 minutes before the end controlled Farms pass and fired it into the net.
The Gills stay seven points clear of Norwich and have a game in hand over their rivals, and go into the Spurs game next Sunday knowing a win gives them the League title.
Full Time 1-3
Gills: Duffy, Judd, Herrett (Massey, 55), Lyon (c), Kay, Ahern (Abbott, 75), East (Russ, 65), Cooper, Farmer, Ashton-Jones, Crinean
