Ipswich Town Women slipped to a second successive league defeat, losing 4-1 to a buoyant Newcastle United side at the Jobserve Colchester Community Stadium this afternoon.
With several players returning from injury since Town’s last outing, a narrow 3-2 defeat away to Crystal Palace in the Subway Women’s League Cup, Joe Sheehan made a number of changes to his starting XI.
Natalia Negri returned to goal having been rested for the cup game with the back four consisting of Summer Hughes on the left, Leah Mitchell on the right, and Maria Boswell and Paige Peake in the centre of defence.
Kyra Robertson and Charlotte Fleming started as the defensive midfielders with Jenna Dear in the 10 and flanked by Maddy Earl on the left and Sophie Peskett on the right. Rianna Dean started in the striker position.
Having previously been limited in the number of subs he could name, Sheehan was able to call upon an expanded reserve with Laura Hartley, Grace Neville, Megan Wearing, Ruby Doe, Kaci-Jai Bonwick, Shauna Guyatt, Ruby Seaby and Natasha Thomas all making the bench.
Newcastle, still managerless after the dismissal of Becky Langley in October, named a strong side which included former Lionesses Demi Stokes and Jordan Nobbs.
The Blues had a free-kick in the opposing half after only two minutes, but Boswell’s delivery was easily held by Magpies goalkeeper Femke Liefting.
A minute later, Freya Gregory required treatment after a robust but fair challenge from Fleming in the middle of the park, leaving the field but returning to play quickly.
On 10 the visitors had an attacking free-kick, which Gregory squared to Nobbs to chip into the Town box, but Mitchell was first to the ball to clear.
Ipswich appeared to have more of the ball in the early exchanges, but were pressed high by Newcastle and struggled to get out of their own half without resorting to long balls up the pitch.
In the 13th minute, a sumptuous ball was clipped to Peskett out on the right, who was able to get a cross into the box, but an onrushing Dean could only direct the ball straight to Liefting.
Newcastle broke from the restart and Molly Pike was able to find Oona Sevenius on the right of Town’s box, but her shot was deflected wide for a corner, which was held by Negri.
On 19, Earl displayed real composure to jink past Charlotte Wardlaw and put a dangerous low cross into the box, but her effort was cleared before the Magpies then won a free-kick near the centre circle.
Four minutes later, Robertson won a corner kick for Town after a throw in. Earl’s low delivery was met by Boswell on the six-yard line but the Blues’ skipper’s drilled effort was well blocked by an organised defence. Shortly after, Gregory was able to break down the left but could only steer her effort straight at Negri.
On 34 Newcastle looked almost certain to take the lead with Town surviving two close calls before they were able to clear the ball up the field.
A minute later, Newcastle were in again after Fleming lost a duel with Shania Hayles in a dangerous area, the opposing striker’s effort deflecting over for a corner which was then headed wide.
But on 41 Newcastle took the lead. Earl lost the ball in a dangerous position to Hayles, who was able to stride forward, neither Peake nor Boswell closing her down, playing a one-two with Nobbs before drilling the ball past Negri to make it 1-0.
The first half finished with Town a goal down, the home side having been equal to their more experienced opponents for the first 45 minutes but deservedly behind after sloppy defending led to the Newcastle goal.
The visitors started the second half strongly, winning a corner in the first minute and then creating several attacking chances.
And on 50 the Magpies doubled their lead, Hayles following up from Gregory’s blocked shot to shoot into an empty net.
Only three minutes later, however, Town halved the deficit after a free-kick on the edge of the box. Peake’s effort was on target and spilled by Liefting with Robertson’s follow-up effort from the resulting scramble having been adjudged by the assistant referee to have just crossed the line before being cleared away.
A minute before the hour, Sheehan made a triple substitution with Mitchell, Robertson and Earl making way for Neville, Doe and Thomas.
But within a minute Newcastle restored their two-goal cushion after Ipswich failed to deal with Gregory on the left. She was able to cross to an unmarked Pike on the right who had time to curate a fine finish past Negri to make it 3-1 to the visitors. Two minutes later, Pike entered the referee’s book for a bad foul.
Newcastle made their first change of the game in the 63rd minute, Emily Murphy replacing Elysia Boddy.
Six minutes later, Town also made a substitution, Wearing coming on for Fleming. The change saw Boswell move out to the right of defence to accommodate the Scottish U23s centre-back, with Neville in turn moving into defensive midfield to support Doe.
On 77 Town broke on the left through Thomas, who then squared the ball to Dean, who span past her marker to shoot straight at Liefting, the goalkeeper again spilling the ball but able to drop onto it before Thomas could react for the follow-up.
A minute later, more Ipswich pressure saw Dear put a cross into the box but Thomas, moving away from the goal, could not get her head to the ball.
As the game moved into its final 10 minutes, Doe was the first Town player to be booked, following a rash challenge. Two minutes later, the Magpies made further changes, Gregory and Hayles departing for Emma Kelly and Beth Lumsden.
On 83, Dear was able to get another cross in from the right, but a lack of blue shirts in the box saw the ball easily cleared by the Newcastle defence. Sheehan then made his final change of the game, replacing Hughes with Seaby.
Ipswich faded as the game moved towards its conclusion with Newcastle’s subs having an instant impact and putting the home side on the back foot.
In the first of six added minutes at the end of the half, Newcastle made it 4-1 after Town failed to sufficiently deal with a corner, substitute Murphy heading home the recycled ball into the box. Newcastle immediately made further changes, Pike and Stokes leaving the field for Jasmine McQuade and Jemma Purfield.
Newcastle had several chances to add a fifth before full-time, but despite some woeful defending from Town could not increase their advantage. Wearing joined Doe in the book on in the 95th minute after hauling down a player.
With Sheffield United and Portsmouth both picking up wins this weekend, the defeat sees Ipswich drop to the bottom of the table and into the solitary relegation spot, two points behind Pompey in 11th.
Although the scoreline flattered the visitors, Newcastle were deserved winners having dictated play for large parts of the game, as well as capitalising on poor defending from Town at key moments.
Another worry for the Blues was the number of goals conceded, letting in four at home for the second time in a row, albeit with one in reply this time and again conceding the fourth in stoppage time.
With goal difference potentially being a pivotal factor at the end of the season, Ipswich now have the worst in division (-12) which could prove to be the difference between staying in the division or returning to the third tier.
Also, despite Ipswich being able to name a deeper bench this week, the substitutions did not seem to positively impact the home side and, if anything, seemed to blunt the shape and performance of the team.
Town face a stern challenge over the remainder of the month, travelling to third-placed Bristol City next weekend, before returning home to face Crystal Palace in the league on 16 November and WSL side, and last year’s Women’s Championship champions, London City Lionesses in their third League Cup group game on 27 November.
Town: Negri, Mitchell (Neville 59), Boswell (c), Peake, Hughes (Seaby 84), Robertson (Doe 59), Fleming (Wearing 69), Peskett, Dear, Earl (Thomas 59), Dean. Unused: Hartley, Bonwick, Guyatt.
Newcastle: Liefting, Stokes (c) (Purfield 90+2), Cooper, Mannion, Wardlaw, Nobbs, Boddy (Murphy 63), Pike (McQuade 92), Gregory (Lumsden 82), Hayles (Kelly 82), Sevenius. Unused: Moan, Grec, Cataldo. Att: TBC.
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