West Ham Ladies 1-1 Truro Ladies
West Ham United Ladies ensured their unbeaten start to the season continued with their second draw in five days at home to Truro Ladies on Sunday.
Truro took the lead with a scrappy goal in the first half and it looked like the points might be going back down to Cornwall before Sam Pittuck levelled in the 85th minute. The home side had a couple of chances to win the game but could not quite find the finishing touch. The result leaves United joint top of the FA Women's Tesco Premier League.
West Ham United went into the encounter full of confidence after their impressive draw with Barnet and so kept faith with the same starting XI. Two early chances to take the lead through Pittuck and Nat Grafton passed as neither player could hit the target. Truro showed them how it was done though by going in front shortly after.
A long free-kick was pumped in the home penalty area and the ball dropped to a visiting striker who made no mistake by finishing well. The visitors appeared determined to defend their lead and reverted to a much more conservative formation. A bit of luck combined with some outstanding defending kept them in front at the interval.
The second half began in the same vein with Paris Smith in the West Ham goal hardly having a save to make. It looked like it was not to be her side's day as chance after chance went begging. But just as it appeared the visitors' good fortune would hold, Pittuck made a burst into the penalty area to curl a fantastic shot into the far right-hand corner of the net. The home side nearly completed a remarkable turnaround but Tracey Duxbury and Grafton could not quite find a way past the Truro goalkeeper.
Ladies manager Tony Marshall said: "Again we have dominated a game but failed to capitalise. Some of our approach play in the first half was fantastic but we just do not seem to be able to get on the end of it. Lindsey [Morgan] and Sam [Pittuck] kept us going forward and in the end the Truro manager admitted they were very grateful for the point"
West Ham United Ladies: Paris Smith, Jade Dempster, Carly Roache, Rosy Sullivan, Jess Barling, Alex Keown, Zoe Marshall, Sam Pittuck, Lindsey Morgan (Capt), Nat Grafton, Tracey Duxbury
Subs: Julia Setford, Dani Hoy, Jo Washio