SoReg Review (25/26) - Edition 13 - Up For The Cup

BotP was at The Charters Community Stadium on Sunday, watching Winchester City Flyers come from a goal down to beat Southampton. That result, combined with Beaconsfield's defeat of Sholing saw The Rams take over second spot in the Premier League. In Division One North, Abingdon went back to the top with a draw at home to Farnborough. Slough won for the fourth game in a row. In the South, Stoneham got back to winning ways at home to Havant, but Farnham stay top of the pile. Across the County Cups five SoReg sides made it through, including both finalists in last season's Oxfordshire FA Cup, Oxford City and Kidlington Youth.
Good luck to the two remaining SoReg teams, AFC Portchester and Oxford City, as they prepare for historic Second Round ties in this season's Women's FA Cup.

Results - Wednesday 12th November

​Combined Counties Cup
Penn & Tylers Green 1-3 QPR Development
Amber Cattell's goal was not enough to prevent battling Penn falling to defeat in the Combined Counties Cup at the hands of a strong QPR side. Listen to Dan Gray's post-match thoughts.

Results - Sunday 16th November

​Beaconsfield Town 3-1 Sholing
Goals from Henna Hussain and Katie Riddington had The Rams 2-0 up at the break. Sophie Lee's tenth of the season, just after the hour, got Sholing back into the game. However, a second Henna Hussain goal on 71 minutes was enough to guarantee the three points. Watch the home goals on the Beaconsfield YouTube channel.
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Fleet Town 2-4 AFC Portchester
Portchester moved to within a point of leaders Wycombe courtesy of a commanding first half performance. Sarah Butterworth scored two in the opening quarter of an hour. Rebecca Bath, just past the half-hour and Charmaine True on the stroke of half-time, rounded off  great first 45 minutes. Two Keira Simpson goals for Fleet were not enough to prevent Town from slipping to a third league defeat at home.

Winchester City Flyers 3-1 Southampton Women
The definition of a game of two halves. An Izzy Crooks screamer gave dominant Southampton a 1-0 lead at the break. However, Flyers woke up during the interval and finally got back on level terms through Lydia Moulding on 76 minutes. Two late firecrackers from Chelsie Hay and Shayne Prasad, won it for Winchester. BotP had the pleasure to witness the game. Read the match blog here (Flyers Ignore Sirens Call). You can also listen Emma Pearmine's post-match comment and read the Winchester match report.

​Abingdon United Development 1-1 Farnborough
Honours even at The Northgate, but the point was enough for Abingdon to regain their place at the top of the league. It's now three without defeat for Farnborough, thanks to Ellie Stalley's eleventh goal of the season. April England, with her sixth, was the United scorer.

Chesham United Development 5-1 Oxford City Development
City's woes continued at Chiltern Hills as they fell to their sixth straight defeat. The damage was done early in the second half, although Bo Edwards scored for Chesham as early as the 8th minute. After the half-time break, Wede Akpata, Henrietta Cunnison and Marcia Itani added three more inside the opening 10 minutes. Cunnison then added her second after 71 minutes. Megan Fillary hit the consolation for City.

Slough Town 3-2 Tilehurst Panthers
Town are now one of the form clubs in the Southern Region. This was their fourth on the bounce and sees them move up to fifth in the table. They did it the hard way though, coming from a goal down after Abbie Why put Panthers in front after 10 minutes. Emma Green levelled the sores in the 36th minute. However, Leah Why put Tilehurst back in the driving seat on the hour. The lead lasted 9 minutes before Megan Duffy equalised, leaving Madeleine Armstrong to score the winner in the 78th minute.

​AFC Stoneham 4-1 Havant & Waterlooville
Without a win in any competition since late September, Stoneham got back on the horse with a big win over The Hawks. Two goals from Mia House and one each from Lucy Bicknell and Scarlet Darnton, were enough or the Purps to take all three points and leapfrog their opponents in the table. Emily Wernham scored Havant's consolation.

AFC Varsity P-P Guernsey

Bournemouth Sports Reserves 1-1 Bursledon
Bursledon remain just one place outside the relegation zone, even after a good point at Bournemouth. Sports are still yet to win at Chapel Gate, even though Matilda Pitcher's goal gave them a point.

​MK Dons 14-1 Woodley United
Woodley held The Don at bay for 20 minutes, but were then hit by a barrage of goals from the National League aside.
Amelie Sarll, Favour Omenazu and Cheyanna Norman scored three in five minutes. Mollie Knox and Alex O'Neill then had the hosts five to the good before Woodley pulled a goal back in first-half added time. In the second half both Sydney Wootton and Maddie Pollard hit hat-tricks, Amanda Chimbima grabbed a brace and Ruby Bishop-Jones scored her first Dons goal. As always, Andy Wicks was there to capture the action for us.

Penn & Tylers Green 0-2 Maidenhead United
A second cup match against higher-ranked opposition within three days for Penn. Once again they battled hard but couldn't quite match their visitors. Alex Dover in the first-half and Isabella Stockton soon after the break, helped Maidenhead to progress. This despite Myah Baksh picking up a second yellow in the 56th minute. Listen to Sean Hillier's post-match interview.

Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 (6-7p) Abingdon United
The Chairgirls underlined their promotion credentials with a solid display against National League opposition. Jessica Watkins had put Wycombe in front after Kayla Potter was brought down in the box. However, Erin Hartigan levelled for United just past the hour. A nail-biting shootout ensued, which Abingdon won 7-6.

Kidlington Youth 5-2 North Leigh
Last year's beaten finalists, Kidlington, progressed to the next round and gained a welcome boost following a tough start to the season. Courtney Sumner claimed a hat-trick with Kiera Isaac and Julia Rushmere adding the other two goals. North Leigh's goals were scored by Cherniel Wright and Sherleigha Wright.

Launton 0-3 Oxford City
City warmed up for their huge FA Cup game on Sunday with a solid win at Thames Valley side Launton. Ellie White opened the scoring after only four minutes. Lucy White doubled the advantage eight minutes later. They had to wait until the 87th minute to comepletely seal the deal, when Katherine Parsons got on the score sheet.

Abbey Meads 0-1 Bemerton Heath Harlequins
Wiltshire Premier side Abbey Meads put aside the one league difference between the teams, holding firm against last season's champions. However, shortly after half-time, Charlotte Eastman put Harlequins in front. A lead they managed to hang onto.

Clapton Community 1-4 Denham United
Maria Mendonca put Clapton in front in this game, but it didn't dent the confidence of a buoyant Denham side. They bounced back with goals from Liana Horwood, Niamh Cashin, Daisy Baranowski and Chelsea-Rose Keary, to progress. Watch the highlights on the Clapton CFC YouTube channel and listen

Larkspur Rovers 1-4 Farnham Town
Rachael Manley put Farnham in front after 20 minutes, only for Larkspur top-scorer, Savana Fearon, to level it on the half-hour. All-square at the break, Iesha Swaby had Town in front shortly after the restart. Two Francesca Thornton goals, on 65 and 85 minutes, saw Farnham through.

Ashford Town 5-0 Badshot Lea
Town took a firm hold on this game inside the opening half-hour. Chanel Morris started it with a goal after only 2 minutes. Ellie Nitsche made it two on 14 minutes and, three minutes later, Zu Wojtaszewska added a third. Just on the half-hour Abigail Carpenter made it 4-0 to Ashford. The scoring slowed in the second half but there was still time for Ellie Nitsche to add her second and Ashford's fifth.

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Fixtures - Thursday 20th November

Combined Counties Trophy
CB Hounslow & Abbotts v Penn & Tylers Green
After losing out in the Combined Counties Cup, Penn get to fight again in the Trophy. Their opponents on Thursday play in the Greater London Division 1 South and are currently propping up the table having won once in eight. Penn have faced consecutive games against higher-ranked opposition and will now find themselves to be the favourites in this game.
Green Lane, Hounslow, TW4 6DH

Fixtures - Sunday 23rd November

​Sholing v Badshot Lea
The Baggies are still in search of that illusive first win and travel to the coast in the knowledge that their sole point so far also came on their travels. However, Sholing won 4-1 at The Operatix back in October, which was also their last win in any competition. They'll be keen to get more points on the board to pull themselves clear of the drop zone.
The Mortgage Decisions Stadium, SO19 9PW

Southampton Women v Fleet Town
Four points separate The Sirens, in third, from Fleet in sixth. Both teams lost on Sunday, Southampton at Winchester and Fleet at home to Portchester, and will be looking to get back to winning form. They met at Crookham Road on the opening day where a double from Chloe Ball helped Southampton to a 4-2 victory.
Test Park, SO16 9QZ

Winchester City Flyers v Reading FC Community Trust
Flyers will be looking to continue their form from the second half on Sunday, where they scored three times to see off Southampton. Reading will still be buzzing from their doble-figure League Cup win over Kidlington two weeks ago. This will be their first meeting this season. However, Reading may still be smarting from the 8-0 defeat they suffered in this fixture last season.
Hiller Way, Winchester SO23 7SU

Wycombe Wanderers v Woodley United
A very tough ask for Woodley, who are still in search of a first win and are only off the bottom on goal difference. Meanwhile, Wycombe are holding on to their 100% league record and are averaging over five goals per game. They are yet to meet this season, but last term Wycombe won this fixture 5-1.
18i78 Stadium, SL1 8JG

​Denham United v Tilehurst Panthers
United lost top spot at the weekend, but are only a point adrift of Abingdon with three games in hand. They are also yet to drop a point this season, having won six of six. Panthers are six points behind Denham but only one place lower in the table. This will be their first meeting this season.
The Den, UB9 4DW

Kidlington Youth v Ascot United Reserves
Something of a basement six-pointer as 11th placed Kidlington take on 10th placed Ascot. Three points separate the teams, but Ascot have played two fewer games than the Greens. Kidlington had a morale-boosting cup win at the weekend. Can they take it forward into the league? Although they have no met this season, Ascot will be encouraged by their 2-1 win at Exeter park last season.
Yarnton Road, OX5 1AT

Larkspur Rovers v Farnborough
Two of the newly promoted clubs in the league, who are yet to meet this season. Both have had reasonably good starts and are more than holding their own so far. Farnborough are unbeaten in four across all competitions, including two very good away wins in the League Cup. Rovers are defending a 100% home league record.
Lord Halsbury Memorial Playing Fields, UB5 5FE

Penn & Tylers Green v Chesham United Development
Penn's home defeat to Slough in early November, ended their 100% start to the season. However, with their games in hand, they could still be pressing the top of the table once caught up. Chesham's season has been a bit of a roller-coaster so far with win following defeat. This is the reverse of the opening day fixture in which Penn ran out winners by four goals to one.
French School Meadow, HP10 8LG

Slough Town v Abingdon United Development
Abingdon's draw that the weekend saw them take over top spot again. However, they face a difficult trip to Arbour Park to match up to the league's form team. Slough have won their last four in all competitions. This is their first meeting of the season. However, this fixture last year saw Slough run out 3-2 winners after being 2-1 down at half-time.
Arbour Park, SL2 5AY

​AFC Stoneham v Andover New Street
Third versus second and, with the leaders not playing, a chance for the gap to be closed or, in New Street's case, a chance to go top. The teams met in the League Cup a few weeks back. Andover came out on top that day, winning 3-1
Stoneham Lane Football Complex, SO16 2PA

Bursledon v Havant & Waterlooville
The Dons currently sit just two points above the relegation zone but have played two more games then Wimborne, the team immediately below them. The Hawks are five points off the leaders, in fourth place, having played two extra games. The teams met in the reverse fixture back in October. Havant edged a seven goal thriller in that game.
Priory Park, SO32 1SQ

Guernsey P-P Bemerton Heath Harlequins

Shaftesbury v Bournemouth Sports Reserves
A first league meeting between these two sides. Shaftesbury are in desperate need of a kick-start to their campaign, having lost all six so far without scoring. Bournemouth have a much better record on the road than back at Chapel Gate. Nine of their eleven points have come on their travels.
Coppice Street, SP7 8PD

Wimborne Town v AFC Varsity
The Magpies are looking to break their home duck and drag themselves clear of the drop zone. Varsity are five points better off, but have played two additional games. A victory for Town would drag their visitors back into the mire.
Wyatt Homes Stadium, BH21 2FU

​AFC Portchester v Worthing
Worthing travel along the coast hoping to avoid an orange banana skin. Although Worthing play in the step above Portchester, there's only three places between them. Portchester currently occupy fourth place in the Southern Region Premier. Worthing are bottom of the National League Division One South West. Worthing have gone five without a win in all competitions. Their last victory came at Maidenhead in the previous round, which they won 2-1 win two goals in second-half added time.
Wicor Recreation Ground, PO16 9DP

Oxford City v Swindon Town
Oxford versus Swindon is a big game in any context, but this one is massive. The Hoops will be testing themselves against their higher-ranked neighbours. Swindon come to Marsh Lane in second place in the National League Division One South West. They are a point behind Moneyfields with a games in hand, having won all of their 8 league outings so far. Captain Annabelle Coulston has already notched 19 goals in 15 games. It's going to be a tough test for City, but there'll no doubt be a big home crowd behind them.
Marsh Lane, OX3 0NQ