By Harry Walsh
Following an improved second half display in their previous outing against fellow Premier Division North side West Bromwich Albion, Huddersfield Town Ladies will have headed into their tie against the high-flying Garibaldi with a boosted sense of ambition, hoping to pick up their first points on the road so far this league campaign.
Head coach Preston furthered this idea in his pre-match thoughts, adding: “Against West Brom for 45 minutes I thought we had them pinned almost relentlessly.
“But we have to have a 90-minute performance, and if we are able to sustain those performances, we’ve got a good chance of giving anybody a game.”
As expected, it was the home side who dominated possession in the earlier periods under the lights, with only sporadic emerging chances denied by the heroics of Town goalkeeper Faye Hazelton, squandering a number of Forest winger Sophie Domingo’s efforts to ensure the sides remained level.
The Terriers were liberated by the workhorse nature of midfielder Cara Fields, with a first chance arising for the side in the 31st minute as attacker Kate Mallin was freed in behind the Forest defensive unit, with a finessed effort towards the far corner well claimed by the opposition goalkeeper.
It was the home side however who managed to maintain a consistent foothold in attacking chances, with a flurry of attempts towards goal shortly afterwards fended by several parried stops from Hazelton, as well as a goal-line clearance from captain Beth Stanfield to maintain the goalless nature of the tie.
The deadlock was eventually broken with the final kick of the first half with a thunderous long-range effort courtesy of midfielder Holly Manders picking out the top-corner to force the Reds one ahead headed into the break.
A positional shift from manager Preston proved effective in the earlier periods of the second half, with winger Yasmin Mason switched into the number 9 role, causing early danger with a controversially flagged goal that saw the coach booked for his protests in the following moments.
The second period saw a more end-to-end state of play, with the tricky trees still posing a heavy threat, striking the woodwork on several occasions including two strikes from distance in quick succession, before doubling their advantage as first-half goalscorer Manders was found free in the box to calmly slot home and earn her second of the fixture in the 66th minute.
This induced a positive response from the away outfit however, with a set-piece in the opposition half less than nine minutes later eventually falling to the feet of Mason, who’s effort towards goal was too much for the Forest keeper, earning a touch on the ball but unable to prevent the ball crossing the line with the deficit halved with 15 minutes of play remaining.
The striker nearly earned a brace as she was found from the left-hand side three minutes later, with a headed effort only a whisker over the bar as the side hunted for an equaliser.
A number of last-ditch challenges maintained hope for the Terriers in the fixture, with centre-half Beth Ibbotson denying two certain goals in the closing stages, however a late injury for substitute Olivia Edwards saw Preston’s side forced down to 10 as the away outfit were unable to find a second that would earn them a much-needed point.
A home return sees the side facing Halifax back at the Stafflex arena, in a vital fixture at the tale-end of the Premier Division North table, with the Town undoubtedly encouraged following their improved display against a strong Forest opposition despite the final scoreline.
