Newcastle United Women hit more problems – Struggling | OneFootball

Newcastle United Women headed into their second home game of the season off the back of two straight defeats and looking to avoid a third in the same week.

A tough game at Birmingham City the previous weekend was followed up by a 2-1 League Cup group game defeat at Mansfield’s Field Mill to Nottingham Forest in midweek.

Charlton on the other hand arrived on Tyneside unbeaten, having already beaten one of the promotion favourite’s Crystal Palace on the opening weekend before also seeing off Durham on their previous trip to the north east a couple of weeks ago.

Newcastle Manager Becky Langley made three changes to the side that lost at St Andrew’s. Jas McQuade, Beth Lumsden and Freya Gregory coming back in, with Charlotte Wardlaw, Emily Murphy and Oona Sevenius dropping to the bench.

Langley stuck to the 3-5-2 formation but with a new front pairing of Lumsden and Molly Pike, who have mostly featured in midfield this season.

A crowd of 2,128 took in the game at Gateshead international Stadium, with some leaving just in time to make the 4:30pm kick off at St James Park for the men’s game. However, most stayed for the full 100 minutes with the Lady Mags boasting what is more of their ‘own fans’ attending games.

Match Report

An end-to-end start saw both sides create chances. Newcastle could have taken the lead in the 6th minute. Charlton failed to clear a Lumsden low cross, with the ball running to Molly Pike, but she was unable to get a clean contact to fire the ball goalwards. The Addicks responded and Newcastle goalie Femke Liefting was forced into a great save to deny Lucy Fitzgerald’s delicate chip after she caught defender Aoife Mannion in possession on the edge of the box.

A half-chance fell to Charlton shortly after when Liefting spilled a cross into the box, but with Mary McAteer on hand to try and take advantage, she couldn’t turn it in and the hosts were able to clear their lines.

Jas McQuade was a constant threat driving forward for the Lasses, and her dangerous run allowed Jordan Nobbs to shoot from 30 yards. However, her effort flew over Charlton goalie Sophie Whitehouse and the crossbar.

Newcastle’s best chance came on 25 minutes when Lumsden’s inswinging ball was flicked on by Charlton’s Charlotte Newsham, and Aoife Mannion met it at the back post with a point-blank header. But Whitehouse somehow pulled off an impressive save to tip it onto the bar and away.

Meanwhile, England International Nobbs tried her luck with a pair of efforts from distance which cleared the bar and another effort from Lumsden, as she cut in and shot from just inside the area, was blocked by Charlton captain Kiera Skeels.

Lumsden created the first chance of the second half too, when she almost caught Whitehouse out at the near post, with a cross that nearly swerved in from the byline.

But Charlton were soon generating chances of their own. Jodie Hutton curled a low teasing free kick from the right which evaded everyone before narrowly drifting wide of the post. Then Fitzgerald sent a shot inches past the right-hand upright.

The game changed just before the hour mark when Charlton’s Katie Bradley was brought down in the box by Demi Stokes. Bradley duly picked herself off before dispatching a perfect penalty kick into the bottom left corner despite Liefting diving the right way.

With half an hour left to play, Karen Hills’ side put on an impressive defensive display to see them over the line. Grace Pearse and Jodie Hutton in particular making life difficult for the lasses.

Other than a wide half-volley from Nobbs and a looping Stokes effort which bounced off the top of the crossbar, Newcastle failed to create many clear cut chances.

Still, they could have rescued a point in the 10th minute of stoppage time when substitute Emily Murphy got through on goal one-on-one but blasted straight at Whitehouse who smothered the rebound.

Charlton’s women continued their unbeaten start to the season with that 1-0 victory and they will be hoping for more of the same when they return to the Northeast next Sunday to take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Newcastle United: Femke Liefting, Demi Stokes (c), Deanna Cooper (Charlotte Wardlaw 39), Aoife Mannion, Jordan Nobbs, Morgan Gautrat (Shania Hayles 77), Freya Gregory, Jasmine McQuade, Lia Cataldo, Beth Lumsden (Oona Sevenius 77), Molly Pike (Emily Murphy 67)

Subs not used: Claudia Moan, Elysia Boddy, Magłorzata Grec, Lois Joel, Jorja Fox

Charlton: Sophie Whitehouse, Charlotte Newsham, Elisha N’Dow, Kiera Skeels, Gracie Pearse, Jodie Hutton, Keira Flannery (Mia Ross 89), Katie Bradley, Mary McAteer (Karin Muya 77), Lucy Fitzgerald (Emma Bissell 76), Amalie Thestrup (Gillian Kenney 67).

Subs not used: Anna Pedersen, Zoe Barratt, Gloria Siber, Frankie Finlayson, Lucia Lobato.

Where that leaves Newcastle United Women

In what was anything but a physical or dirty game Newcastle somehow ended up with five players booked to Charlton’s two. Referee Lauren Impey appeared to be a bit card happy early on setting a tone for the rest of the game.

The defeat leaves Newcastle on four points and are joint 8th in the WSL 2 table.

What’s coming up

Newcastle return to action next weekend when they travel to South London to take on the side that knocked them out of the FA Cup last season, Crystal Palace. The Eagles were relegated from the Women’s top flight over the summer and are looking for a return at the first time of asking, but like United have got off to something of an indifferent start and are one point and one place better off than the Lady Mags.

Newcastle return to Gateshead in two weeks’ time when they face Bristol City.