QPR 1 v 2 ACTONiANS

On the back of a poor run of form it was a short away trip for the first team this evening as they faced local rivals QPR at the Powerday Stadium. Two changes to the starting lineup saw Meila return to the side in midfield and Tori making her first league start in attack.

With an even start as both teams settled it was QPR who had the first shot on target which was well saved by Elisa. 2 minutes later Tori was sent through towards goal but the keeper was quickly out to the edge of her area to block. The 24th minute saw three Actonians efforts. Tori having another shot blocked and then a double save from the keeper. Firstly Maria’s shot palmed away by the keeper and then Shakes effort from the rebound also being blocked. Tori had another shot saved in the 28th minute and a couple more QPR efforts came to nothing keeping the half-time score at 0-0.

The second half was 2 minutes old when Jas had a header collected by the keeper and then in the 52nd minute Camila saw her shot go wide. The first substitution was in the 58th minute with Amber replacing Olivia. In a game that continued to be evenly fought it looked like one goal could win it and QPR broke the deadlock with 70 minutes gone. However Actonians heads never dropped and they kept battling hard. With 15 minutes left Mara came on to replace Shakes and in the 80th minute Actonians got a deserved equaliser. Amber’s effort was tipped away by the keeper and Meila was on hand to fire home the rebound. With both sides looking for the winner it was real end to end stuff. When having to defend the back line of Jess, Jen and Isi stood firm but what was also really noticeable was Maria playing in a deeper role using her pace effectively to support and cover them when needed. Meanwhile Actonians were creating their own chances as well and in the 88th minute a beautiful through ball from Jas sent Tori behind the defence. She confidently took the ball on and coolly placed it in the bottom corner to give Actonians the lead. Tori came off straight after and was replaced by Izzy. In the 94th minute Jas who’s energy levels never dropped chased down the keeper and blocked her clearance. The ball could have gone anywhere but unfortunately for us it spun over the bar. However Actonians saw the game out in the dying minutes for a 2-1 win.

A welcome and much needed victory for Actonians and what better place to regain some form than in their local rivals own backyard. In wet conditions this was a superb performance from the Actonians side. Everyone that started knew their job and stuck to it and Amber made a real positive impact when she came on. Many contenders for player of the match but in her first league start for the club I would say Tori edges it tonight. She was a real handful for the QPR backline, chasing everything down and was rewarded with the winning goal. A weekend off coming up for the first team before Fulham visit Rectory Park for our FA Cup tie on the 22nd.

Report by Neil Hayward