Clitheroe Wolves 3 Haslingden Sharks 1

A crisp cold sunny day, the Sharks in their black and white stripes are up against the Wolves in their lilac kit. The Sharks lined up with Louise Mackenzie in goal, Eve Hadley and Beth Whittaker in defence, Jasy Hartree and Grace Hadley in midfield with Izzy Dunn and Maddie Purdy in attack with just one sub Phoebe Williams.
The pitch had a distinctive slope, with the Sharks playing uphill first half. The Wolves, who had been beaten the previous week by the Panthers, were a strong competent side. The Sharks struggled to get out of their own half and so put on the defensive, with Mackenzie pulling off two good saves in the first four minutes. The Sharks first foray into the opposition half came after five minutes and was led by Dunn and Purdy whose interchange threatened the goal but was just stopped. In the seventh minute the sub Williams came on to strengthen the side with the Sharks playing with eight players for the rest of the first half. Then in the tenth minute Georgina the Wolves No.2 had a barnstorming run which was well defended, but from the ensuing corner the No. 2 shot the ball into the top corner, 1-0 to the Wolves.
The Sharks were under a lot of pressure in the eleventh minute but E. Hadley's determined defending saved the day. To the Shark's credit it wasn't until the seventeenth minute that the Wolves scored a second goal, when from the goalkeeper's clearance, the Wolves player collected the ball and ran in and scored for 2-0.
The next attack by the Sharks saw G.Hadley sending Purdy through, but the ball was just too far in front. The Wolves continued to attack but with Whittaker standing resolute, and goalie Mackenzie tipping the ball over the bar, the score at half time remained 2-0.
The second half began with the Sharks on attack with Purdie going close. Then on the 28th minute on a Wolves attack their best player Libby No. 21, scored in the top corner to make it 3-0. Izzy Dunn then had to leave the field leaving the Sharks with seven players.
In the 30th minute another last ditch defending by Eve Hadley saved the day. The Sharks were coming more into the game, with G.Hadley taking over the mid-field. The front pairing or Purdy and Williams were coming into the game. Purdy was fouled on the edge of the box but the free kick was cleared. Chances were coming at last, and when the Wolves goalkeeper's clearance fell to G Hadley 25 yards out she half-volleyed the ball back to score a goal 3-1. In the next minute a great pass from Williams sent Purdy away, was just stopped short of goal by Ella, the Wolves captain, and a rock in their defence.
The sharks had their own rock in defence, as the Sharks man of the match Beth Whittaker stood firm and repelled all further attacks. On
45 minutes Jasy had a chance when through on goal but the goalkeeper managed to save it. One more chance from G. Hadley and Williams but the score at the end was 3-1 to the Clitheroe Wolves.