Albion Women were held to a goalless draw by Loughborough Lightning in the FAWNL Northern Premier on Sunday afternoon.
The Baggies had plenty of opportunities to break the deadlock, but were forced to settle for a point against their East Midlands rivals at the Alexander Stadium.
Manager Siobhan Hodgetts-Still made three changes from the side that were defeated by Halifax in their most recent league encounter. Lucy Day, Ella Haughey and Rhianne Oakley were all restored to the starting XI.
In a half that had very little in the way of scoring opportunities, it was Albion who came the closest. After she beat a defender, Taylor Reynolds laid a perfect pass into forward Ellie May, leaving her to fire a finish into the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Alicia Grimmond – denying the Baggies an opener.
The hosts had a huge chance to score after the break. Alone at the back post, May nodded a looping header across goal, midfielder Fran Orthodoxou came crashing in to dispatch the rebound, but Loughborough cleared their lines in time.
In the 74th-minute, it was May again who couldn’t convert a sizeable Baggies opportunity. The forward was played in after a bursting run from Oakley, but again, couldn’t beat Grimmond with the strike.
Hodgetts-Still made a few positive substitutions, and while her side troubled Loughborough with late set-pieces in the final 10 minutes of the tie, were forced to settle for a draw.
The Baggies are next in action on Sunday, December 14 (2pm), when they travel to Leeds United in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup third round.
Albion: Clarke; Reynolds, Green (Creaney 88’), Day, Haughey; Rabjohn, Orthodoxou (Evans 78’); Warner, Robinson, Oakley; May (Pullen 78’).
Substitutes: Johnson, Sharp, Hammond-McLean, Kehoe.
