By Jeff Burnige at St Paul’s
Millwall Lionesses struck twice in injury-time to clinch a dramatic first win of the season against Aylesford in the London & South East Women’s Regional Football League at St Paul’s last weekend.
The Lionesses were quick to put the previous weekend’s surprise defeat at Saltdean behind them. The difference was that the team took their chances with four excellent finishes by four different players. Manager Jack Wheeler had concentrated on this in training, and it was a game in which the Lionesses again had much of the possession.
After a bright start, it was surprising that Aylesford opened the scoring in their first serious attack through Emma Brown on 24 minutes, but the Lionesses were soon back on terms with a great strike from centre-back Jade Keogh after half an hour. Allowed to venture forward, she teed up a 30-yarder and smashed it home.
The Lionesses were ahead on 43 minutes when Kaydence Kabadaki received the ball with her back to goal, turned and hammered home with her left foot.
After the break, Millwall were getting more and more on top but Brown equalised with a deflected effort in the 52nd minute.
Chances for the Lionesses came and went as manager Wheeler made substitutions in an attempt to secure the deserved three points.
Goalkeeper Serena Hand had to make one great save late on, but with debutants Sophie McCormick and Chanel Richards on the pitch, the breakthrough came on 90 minutes with a second strike of the season from midfielder Grace Seely.
There were still eight minutes to play due to the frequent stoppages for treatment to the visitors’ players, and in the seventh of them Jas Auguste used her trusty left foot to score from the edge of the box into the far bottom corner.
Millie Connell was again excellent at right-back, getting forward at every opportunity, and Gemma Bryan continued her journey back to match fitness, leading the team from the front.
This Sunday, the Lionesses are back in Rotherhithe against Enfield Town, who had been playing the in the FA Womens’ National League, before unluckily being one of four teams to be relegated from it last season.
Kick-off is 2 pm, and another three points is the target.