Ipswich Town Women’s promotion hopes took a dent as they were beaten 1-0 by title rivals Hashtag United at Canvey Island’s Steve’s Taxis Stadium this afternoon, their first league defeat of the season.
Blues manager Joe Sheehan made three changes from the team that secured a vital win at home against Exeter City a fortnight ago, with Grace Garrad, Summer Hughes and Ella Rutherford coming in for Megan Wearing, Maisy Barker and Lucy Watson, with all three dropping to the bench.
Elkie Bowyer returned to the squad as a substitute in place of Angela Addison. Former Blue Eloise King, who moved from Ipswich to the Tags at the start of the year, was in the home side’s starting line-up.
With the pitch at Canvey Island, a late venue change due to Youth County Cup games taking place at Aveley, very cut up, both teams were restricted in their passing game and looked to long balls forward to play in attacking teammates.
On three, Town created the first chance of the game when Sophie Peskett won the ball in the Tags’ box and pulled it back to Lucy O’Brien, who blasted over the bar.
Five minutes later, Hashtag made a foray down their left side and whipped the ball in, only to head wide from the back post.
A few minutes the later, the ball was up the other end of the pitch for an Ipswich corner, which O’Brien put out of play at the near post.
Almost straight after, O’Brien was played through one-on-one with Hashtag goalie Frankie Angel, but the stopper was able to get down low to her left to save the shot on target.
In the 22nd minute, Town had a succession of corners, mixing deep deliveries and short corners with forward Natasha Thomas rising but not connecting with the final set piece into the box.
Soon after, O’Brien won the ball in the centre circle and played a rare through-ball to Peskett, but Angel was quick off her line to scoop the ball off her toes.
On 35 Hashtag had a free-kick midway in Town’s half, but defender Malika Apinda smashed the effort well over and out of the ground.
Five minutes later, the home side were on the attack again, pinging in another cross from their left, but it couldn’t find a yellow and blue shirt and after a period of head tennis Ipswich were able to clear the ball to Rutherford, whose drive forward was checked for a Tags throw.
A few minutes later, Hashtag put another ball in from the right, but the resulting shot was well wide.
A minute before the scheduled break, the home side broke again, but a superb block from Peskett forced the shot to cannon back off a home player and out for a goal kick.
Two minutes into first-half injury time Town had a free-kick to the right of the box. Thomas ran in and rose to meet Garrad’s superb delivery but couldn’t quite meet the ball, with the referee blowing for half-time as soon as it went out of play.
Play resumed and on 51 Rutherford played in Thomas on the left, the forward driving on but shooting straight at Angel.
A minute later, O’Brien broke from midfield and looked to play the ball through to Rutherford but the ball was blocked out for a corner, which came to nothing.
There was then a lengthy stoppage after Town skipper Maria Boswell went down in the Blues box after overstretching, appearing to catch her studs in the turf. The defender was clutching her knee and clearly in significant discomfort, eventually being stretchered off and replaced by Wearing on the hour mark after treatment.
The game was much more subdued after the injury with little happening until 71 when Shauna Guyatt was brought on to replace Rutherford. Three minutes later, Wearing was booked for a challenge on the halfway line, much to her bemusement.
In the 78th minute, Hashtag were through after an Ipswich mix-up in midfield, with Natalia Negri quickly off her line to bravely block Sammy Rowlands’ on-rushing effort. On 81 Sheehan made a further change, Barker replacing O’Brien.
On 84, the Tags took the lead. The home side had won a corner after a free-kick from distance and Town were only able to clear the delivery as far as Hayley West, whose long-range strike looped over Negri and into the net.
Sheehan made his final subs after his side went behind, Isabella Fisher and Watson joining the fray in place of Hughes and Kyra Robertson. Town continued to push for an equaliser but the home side were content to slow the game down as much as possible.
With significant time added on due to Boswell’s injury, Town almost salvaged a point at the death but Angel was able to claw two efforts off the line after a Blues break into the Hashtag box.
The loss, whilst denting Town’s momentum in the title race, has not broken it completely. The Blues are now six points adrift of Hashtag but still have three games in hand and a vastly superior goal difference.
Ipswich can hold onto the fact that it was not a poor performance despite their slick passing game being blunted by the quality of the pitch, and were unfortunate not to nick a point at the very end of the game.
It is, however, advantage Hashtag after today’s match and Ipswich will need to spring back to winning ways away to AFC Wimbledon next weekend to close the gap to their promotion rivals.
Town: Negri, Mitchell, Boswell (Wearing 59), Garrad, Hughes (Watson 86), Robertson, Doe, Peskett, Rutherford (Guyatt 71), O’Brien (Barker 81), Thomas (Fisher 86). Unused: Hartley, Bowyer. Att: 128.