West Ham United Ladies 0-1 Copsewood Coventry Ladies
West Ham United Ladies slipped to a second home defeat of the new FA Women's Premier League Southern Division season as Nicola Foskett scored the game's only goal in a 1-0 defeat by Copsewood Coventry Ladies at Mill Field on Sunday.
After turning their league fortunes around with a win at Lewes last weekend, the Hammers conceded the eventual winner on 21 minutes here. The goal was striker Foskett's second of the season and she looked dangerous in the early stages, firing wide from 20 yards.
Hammers boss Julian Dicks made one change to the team that defeated Lewes last week with winger Kelley Blanchflower coming into the starting eleven to replace Lily Mellors. Centre-back Ruby Baxter passed a late fitness test to be declared fit to play, while April Bowers returned to the substitutes' bench.
In goal for the visitors was former Hammer Nikki Duncan who made a string of saves to deny the hosts.
Dicks chose to play a 4-3-3 formation as the Hammers set out to play attack-minded football, in a bid to secure their third Premier League Southern Division win of the season.
Copsewood had a fantastic chance to extend their lead after 33 minutes, however Alice Smith shot straight at Runnacles when she really should have scored.
The Hammers stepped up their game and had several efforts on goal before the break. Neither Sarah McCrea nor Zoe Lipley-Hinton could beat Duncan from long range, while Emma Sherwood narrowly headed wide from an acute angle.
Copsewood could have doubled their lead on two occasions with Foskett at the heart of the action. First, Smith fired straight at Runnacles from Foskett's low cross, before the striker herself clattered a shot off the inside of the post.
The Hammers started the second half brightly as they searched for an all-important equaliser, however they wasted several good opportunities on goal. McCrea attempted a curling effort towards the top corner; before Vicky Kinsman narrowly tapped Blanchflower's cross inches wide of the post.
West Ham continued to push forward and almost grabbed an equaliser when Sherwood ran onto a through ball and attempted to finish past Duncan, but the ball trickled agonisingly wide.
With just minutes remaining, the Hammers had their final effort on goal when the visiting defence failed to clear the danger from a corner, but Blanchflower saw her half volley from 18 yards fly just over the bar.
The Ladies' next FA Women's Premier League Southern Division fixture is at home to Plymouth Ladies on Sunday 21 September 2014 at 2pm. Admission at Mill Field is £4 for adults and £2 for U16s.
Ladies: Runnacles, King, Baxter (Bowers), Revell, Bottom (Mellors), Little, Lipley-Hinton, McCrea, Blanchflower, Kinsman, Sherwood. Subs not used: Morgan, Donohoe.