Ipswich Town Women weathered a combative and physical challenge away to Gillingham, Anna Grey’s goal securing a 1-0 win in manager Joe Sheehan’s 100th game in charge and extending the table-topping Tractor Girls’ winning run in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division to seven games.
Sheehan made just one change to the team that had started the previous weekend’s 4-1 win at Crawley Wasps with Sophie Peskett replacing Nia Evans, who dropped to the bench.
Holly Turner, who made a late substitute appearance in the previous game, travelled to Kent but dropped out of the matchday squad.
As has been the case in recent games, the Blues started brightly, pressing their attack through the left-hand side, Abbie Lafayette and Grey linking up well in the opening minutes.
It was the hosts, however, with the opening chance of the game on seven minutes, breaking after Lafayette was dispossessed in the middle of the park but shooting squarely at Town keeper Sarah Quantrill, who had no difficulty holding on to the ball.
On 13 minutes, Peskett flicked the ball through the defence towards in-form forward Freya Godfrey, but a nick from a Gillingham player took it away from her and safely towards Gills keeper Cara Davies.
Five minutes later, Godfrey took the role of creator, launching the ball long into the path of Grey, but a superb sliding tackle put the ball out of play for an Ipswich corner.
With 26 minutes played, Summer Hughes completed one of her trademark runs down the right wing, muscling through and shooting from a tight angle to force Davies to push the ball out for another corner, from which skipper Bonnie Horwood shot wide.
Three minutes later, Godfrey completed a lung-busting run down the same side before whipping the ball across the area, Grey arriving just too late to guide the ball home.
Town continued to try and press their advantage against a strong and physical Gillingham side. After winning a free-kick in the 32nd minute, the Blues again forced Davies into action, tipping away Lafayette’s effort.
Three minutes later, however, Ipswich opened the scoring, Peskett latching on to a long ball before launching a cross in to the box, which Grey was able to receive at the back post to scramble into the back of the net.
There was a stoppage immediately after the goal for Davies to receive treatment, after she had collided with Grey in the aftermath of her strike.
Gillingham responded well to the setback and looked to attack the visitors as the first half played out, Lottie Sharp breaking for the hosts on 44 minutes only to see her shot go directly to Quantrill.
The second half continued much as the first half, Brasero-Carreira forcing Davies into an excellent diving save on 49 minutes after being played into a prime shooting position on the edge of the box by Peskett and Hughes.
On 58, Brasero-Carreira found herself in a similar position only to see the ball taken from her feet. Peskett latched on to the loose ball but was only able to shoot wide. Two minutes later, Gillingham forced an attack but Ellie Jeffkins’ shot was well over the Town bar.
Ipswich continued to dominate the game and forced a succession of corners around the 65th minute, defender Megan Wearing going close to scoring on each occasion.
A few minutes later, Town won another free-kick in a dangerous area but Lafayette could only shoot straight to Davies, not troubling the Gills keeper on this occasion.
In the 77th minute, Peskett’s long-range effort stung Davies’s palms and Godfrey looked to follow up, but was deemed to have fouled Davies when she collided with her, picking up a yellow card for her efforts.
As the game drew towards its conclusion, Ipswich looked to add another goal to secure the result, Godfrey flashing an excellent ball across the face of goal on 85 minutes, but there was no Town player in the box to get on the end of it.
Moments later, Grey drove the ball down the left of the pitch to the edge of the box only to see her shot held on the line by Davies with a few Town players protesting to the referee, to no avail, that the ball had crossed the line.
Sheehan made his only change during time added-on, replacing Brasero-Carreira with Eloise King shortly before the referee called a halt to proceedings.
Whilst not the prettiest of games, the Tractor Girls were more than equal to the strong play of Gillingham and were deserved winners, having controlled the game for large spells.
Ipswich remain top of the table with promotion rivals Oxford United and Watford also winning their respective fixtures to remain two and six points behind Town, both with two games in hand.
Town return to action at the AGL Arena in Felixstowe next weekend, hosting Oxford on Sunday at 2pm in what will certainly be a very important game in terms of the race to top the division and earn a place in the FA WNL play-off final for promotion to the Women’s Championship.
Town: Quantrill, Boswell, Wearing, Lafayette, Hughes, Horwood, Robertson, Grey, Peskett, Brasero-Carreira (King 90+1), Godfrey. Unused: Meollo, Smith, Evans, Thomas. Attendance: 382.