Blackburn Rovers 6-2 Derby County
Paul Topliff | DCLFC FANS
FA Premier League Northern Division
08th April 2018 | Kick-off
2pm
Venue: Sir Tom Finney Stadium
Attendance: 103
Derby were emphatically defeated at
the Sir Tom Finney Stadium by Blackburn in a 6-2 mauling. Rovers who are the
current League Champions, Dallas Cup holders and coming National League Cup
Finalists proved to be more than a match for the Ewes.
Rovers took an early 8th minute lead
after Derby failed to close their player down, allowing Natasha Flint to cut in
from the right and lash one home. Derby immediately tried to hit back with a
great won ball by Sims on the right flank, to play the ball down to Andi Bell,
who flashed it across to no avail as nobody could meet it. However the in-form
Weston, who scored a great goal last week, then headed over at the near post,
from a corner moments later by Bell which the Rovers Keeper Hill had covered.
No sooner had Derby shown promise,
Rovers immediately charged forward, with the ball finding it's way into the
Derby six-yard box. The Derby Right Back Sims then attempted to clear, only for
the ball to unluckily bounce straight off the pressing Rovers forward Lagan
Makin and into the goal for a 2-0 lead after 13 minutes.
Derby were finding it hard to settle
after such a menacing opening, and Rovers won another corner, which was swung
into the back post for Rovers Captain Lynda Shepherd to rise high and nod in
for their third, leaving Derby shell-shocked after just 15 minutes: 3-0.
Three minutes later as Blackburn, now
full in command, broke in numbers following that third goal, Natasha Flint, the
scorer of the first goal, crossed a beauty that struck the near post. The
resulting momentum then trickled agonisingly across the face of the goal only
to go out for a goal-kick.
On 26 minutes Blackburn were pressing
and trying to pile on the agony as Makin beat her marker and pull back to
Holbrook, who lashed in a shot, only to see the ever present Derby keeper Sarah
Morgan make a fine save. The Ewe Rams weren’t done yet though, and Shannon
Weston ambitiously fired a 25 yarder that smashed the cross-bar to bounce down,
hit the Rovers keeper Hill and feel its way across the line for Derby’s well
deserved goal: 3-1.
Several minutes later Rovers
midfielder Jordan bangs in yet another shot, which see’s the ball go wide. From
the resulting goal kick, the ball finds its way to Blackburn’s dynamic
midfielder Jess Holbrook, who won the Super League title with Liverpool, and
was signed from Manchester City. Holbrook wasted no time in showing her class
as she dribbled the ball past 3 Derby players, somewhat easier than expected,
to drill the ball across goal and into the bottom left-hand corner to make it
4-1 to Blackburn Rovers.
Again the shots come. This time its
Rovers defender Pearce who makes a lung bursting run to charge behind the Derby
defence, only to hesitate and see her shot well covered by Morgan the Derby
keeper.
You may be forgiven for thinking the
play was all one way traffic, but you’d be wrong. Derby left winger Camilla
Newton makes a good cross field ball to Bell who’s efforts won Derby a corner.
Midfielder Lauren Cresswell, lobbed the ball in, only for it to fall to a
Rovers player who cleared to force another counter attack. This time though
Morgan quickly gathered. A final flurry for Blackburn, and Jordan see’s her
shot easily collected by the Derby keeper.
Half Time: Blackburn Rovers 4-1 Derby
County
After an initial steadier start to
the 2nd half, Derby again shoot themselves in the foot as Chloe
Hutsby, Derby’s Centre Back, is adjudged to have taken down the lively Jordan,
who had flicked the ball past her marker. Captain Lynda Shepherd, who scored
the third goal, then made no mistake, as she takes the resulting penalty to
drive the ball past Morgan and into the bottom corner of the net to make it 5-1
after 51 minutes ironically enough!
SUB: Capt. Hannah Ward replaces
Camilla Newton
More shots rain in by Shepherd and
Natasha Flint, who twists and turns to force a smart save by Sarah Morgan on 57
and 60 minutes respectively. Then on the 64th minute Makin is denied
a tap-in in the centre by Morgan, who again makes a fine block at close range. Less
than a minute later Makin again takes a shot to get the ball over the line,
only for the ‘goal’ to be ruled offside.
Blackburn were relentless, and Taylor
wins the ball high up who releases Cunliffe this time who dribbles her way past
one to pile in with a shot, only to see it parried away by Morgan for yet
another corner. Jess Holbrook then turns brilliantly to fir in another shot,
but the ball zooms over the bar. Rovers though are not taking their foot off
the gas, and Lagan Makin curled the ball home for a fine finish, after Natasha
Flint played a fine ball between two Derby defenders on 73 minutes: 6-1.
It was by no means a dirty game, but
on the 77th minute Natasha Fenton was Yellow Carded for a cynical
tackle on Derby Left Wing/Back Molly Johnson that left her sprawling. That prompted a substitution with Notts County
‘Lady Pies’ signing Kirsty Allen replacing Nikki Ledgister.
SUB: Kirsty Allen replaces Nicole
Ledgister
That turned out to be a very inspired
and timely substitution. No sooner Allen was on the pitch, she brought desire
with her. As Blackburn tried to break out from goal, Allen seized the
opportunity to slot her first senior goal for Derby County, having scored for
the Development side a couple of weeks ago when the seniors had no match. If
every cloud has a silver lining this surely was it.
Even the final embers of the game had
something to offer the neutral, as Lagan Makin won the ball in the 91st
minute from the Derby defence, only to rush her shot while on the run straight
into keeper Sarah Morgan, forcing yet another good save. Then on a final
assault by Derby Holding Midfielder Leanne De Silva, a great distributor of the
ball, has her own shot cleared off the line which could easily have made the
game 6-3.
Rovers First team Coach Scott
Macneill felt that they had control of the first 25 minutes before braking down
in the final third. He also felt that Rovers had control of the 2nd
Half.
Full Time: Blackburn Rovers 6-2 Derby County
Blackburn Rovers
Hill, Taylor, Shepherd (C), Pearson, Holbrook, Makin, Fenton, Jordan, Flint, McDonald, Cook
SUBS: Walsh, Cunliffe, Gerrard, Clarkson
Derby County
Morgan, Sims, Kennaugh (C), Hutsby, Johnson, De Silva, Cresswell, Weston, Ledgister, Newton, Bell
SUBS: Ward (Club Captain), Allen, Clarkson
Blackburn Rovers
Hill, Taylor, Shepherd (C), Pearson, Holbrook, Makin, Fenton, Jordan, Flint, McDonald, Cook
SUBS: Walsh, Cunliffe, Gerrard, Clarkson
Derby County
Morgan, Sims, Kennaugh (C), Hutsby, Johnson, De Silva, Cresswell, Weston, Ledgister, Newton, Bell
SUBS: Ward (Club Captain), Allen, Clarkson
The result means that Derby now have
little chance of finishing higher than 7th (from 12), but no lower too, with 22
points from 17 games. Arch rivals Nottingham Forest appear to be the closest to
now challenge for that 7th spot having 15 points from 15 games. The
last 3 seasons have seen Derby finish 5th on each occasion. Seventh
would actually be an achievement considering the players who left last summer,
especially with Mel Johnson moving on to Sheffield FC of Super League 2. Couple
that with being absolutely decimated by long term injuries to key essential
players, many of which missed a large part of the season, and some of which are
still out, and shows the resilience that Derby have shown this season, all
things considered. What this match does show is a never say die attitude from
Derby County, and full credit to this bunch for that!
The last time Derby County Ladies FC
suffered a 6-2 defeat was away to Coventry United (then Coventry City) on the
05th April 2015. This is Derby’s 4th worst all time
Premier League defeat, since gaining promotion for the 2009-2010 season. The
previous worst were:
Fylde 7-1 Derby County – 31/01/2016
Manchester City 7-1 Derby County –
13/11/2011
Liverpool 7-2 Derby County – 27/09/2009
CURRENT TABLE
