On Sat 21 Oct Garstang Ladies 2s on top of their Division hosted 3rd placed Lancaster Nomads. Nomads had lost 0-2 to Garstang 3s the previous week and brought a determined older team to play Garstang’s powerful young attacking side.
Garstang started well dominating play with pace and high- quality passing moves but Nomads packed their defence and defended well. Early on a Garstang break by Lucy Treaddell led to a first shot on goal by Hattie Seed. The Nomads keeper made a good foot save to deny her. After only four minutes Garstang’s pressure was rewarded by a penalty corner but the shot went wide. Minutes later Nomads broke back. Their Captain just missed a great scoring chance across the goal. Despite this warning, after fifteen minutes Garstang over committed their defenders forward and Nomads were able overwhelm the Garstang keeper in a two to one play. Stung Garstang attacked hard at pace and won a penalty corner three minutes later. Lucy Treaddell scored the equaliser with a powerful slap shot across the keeper to make it 1-1. Three minutes later Zoe Dempsey made a great break at pace and passed to Lucy outside the left post with only the Keeper to beat. Lucy smashed the ball with great power but caught it with the edge of her stick sending it well over the bar. The game became more even for the rest of the half with Garstang curiously weak in the centre against strong runs by the Nomad’s Captain and a tall forward. Garstang won a corner on twenty-nine minutes. After the initial shot was stopped there was a prolonged, intense battle in front of the goal. Eventually a Nomads defender cleared the ball to the left underlining their defensive determination. With three minutes to go a quick attack by Nomads caught the Garstang Keeper out of position and they scored a quality goal. Nomads went in 2-1 up at half time.

The second half saw Garstang on the attack for most of the game battering a tough Nomads defence with the Keeper and her backs stopping attack after attack in the D. After five minutes Garstang won a repeated series of three corners that saw them camped in the Nomads D. At the first, Garstang came close to scoring on the left post but Nomad’s defence were again excellent. Garstang’s blood was up but despite some good runs and some superb passing by Jenny Shepherd and others Nomads held their line. In mid field Anna Kempster and further back Gemma Hampson were both playing really well defending breaks and feeding the attack. After Eighteen minutes Keiry Horne at last scored at a corner from the right with a powerful shot across the Nomad’s Keeper to make it 2-2. Garstang ramped the pressure up and won a further corner after only two minutes but shot wide. A minute later Charlotte Parkinson beat three players to break in to the D but there was no one to support her as she had caught both sides by surprise! More powerful shots in open play by Keiry Horne and Lucy Treaddell just did not get home. Nomads seemed to be playing for a draw but with only three minutes to go Garstang’s centre was again left open and they won a penalty corner that saw them score across the Garstang Keeper with a powerful shot. Garstang desperately tried to break back but Nomads held on well to win the game.

This was a disappointing game for Garstang’s young powerful attacking side exposed to a well led, determined Nomad’s defence and an attack who used their experience to exploit Garstang’s occasional weakness in mid field. Well done Nomads but look out whoever play Garstang next!

Author: Charles Jackman
Photo: Sarah Skelton Photo