A moment's hesitance by goalkeeper Pam Yates cost Glenfield Rovers dearly at McFetridge Park on June 27, as Three Kings United eked out a 1-0 win in their rescheduled Lotto Northern Premier Women's League encounter on a chilly winter's evening. The result means the top five teams are covered by just four points at this stage of proceedings, a situation which will doubtless change once the remaining grading rounds games have been played. This one was a keenly contested affair between two well-matched sides, with United utilising the not inconsiderable talents of Abby Erceg and Nadia Pearl to supplement their squad against a Rovers team which missed the presence of Syracuse University-bound Steph Skilton as much as it benefited from the enterprising Katie Bowen. Sadly, given the calibre of the players on show, the first half was rather disappointing, to say the least. Whether it was the cold, the bumpy pitch, the fact the game was played under lights, or a combination of these factors, this writer knows these players well enough to know that each and every one of them is capable of far better quality in their play than was evident during the opening forty-five minutes. The frequency with which passes were going astray was incredible - it was as if the ball was a hot potato! And as for controlling those passes which did find their target … all in all, not the best advertisement for the women's game quality-wise, although there was visible improvement during the second spell. The first incident of note occurred in the seventh minute, with Tessa Berger surging out of defence before feeding overlapping fullback Shivi Anthony. She steered the ball inside for Jessie Mathews, who lobbed the ball beyond all-comers to Hannah Robert. Yates saved her volleyed attempt diving to her right, then promptly launched a counter-attack which saw Hannah Hoeksema releasing Emily Oosterhof down the left, from where she whipped in a cross which had Katie Rood as its target. Emily Jensen stepped in to avert this threat, while five minutes later, Tiff Paterson guided an unchallenged header past the post after the industry provided by Estelle Harrison, whose left flank combination with Oosterhof was one of the highlights of the half. A stray Pearl pass was pounced on by Hoeksema in the fourteenth minute, with the midfielder swiftly linking with Rood. She played in Chloe Knott, whose attempt to open the scoring against her old club via a shot on the turn was thwarted by Rebecca Rolls' smothering save. Pearl wasn't having a great deal of joy in the middle of the park, as five minutes later she was deceived by the bouncing ball. Not so Caitlin Campbell, however. She swooped on the sphere and instantly let rip a dipping thirty-five yarder which only narrowly cleared Rolls' crossbar. Rood sent a twenty yarder fizzing past the post soon after - Campbell, Bowen and Knott each contributed towards creating the opening - while on the half-hour, Oosterhof - Rovers' best attacking outlet, particularly when operating in tandem with Harrison - forged a path down the left before firing in a cross. The ball struck Berger on the arm in the penalty area, and Glenfield immediately appealed for a spot-kick. Referee Anna-Marie Keighley wasn't having a bar of their claims, however, and unhesitatingly waved play on. After Rolls had dealt well with an Oosterhof cross following further combination play with Harrison, United's 'keeper sparked a rare attack of note at the other end of the park with her 36th minute clearance. Martine Puketapu was the ultimate recipient of the ball, and worked a slick one-two with Anthony before powering to the by-line, from where she pulled the ball back into the danger zone. Unfortunately for United, both Pearl and Robert over-ran the ball, and no-one was following up in behind them … a chance spurned. Two minutes before half-time, Jensen, playing in the unfamiliar role of fullback to accommodate Erceg's presence in central defence, was guilty of gifting possession to Bowen, who promptly invited Rood to pierce United's offside trap. The speedster did so, but as she shaped to cross from deep within United's penalty area, Jensen's desperation to make amends for her blemish saw her block Rood's attempt to pick out a team-mate and confirm the half-time score would remain unchanged from that which stood when the match commenced. And it remained that way throughout the bulk of the second half, too, a half which saw an improvement in the accuracy of passing by both teams, particularly Rovers, who enjoyed the better of the exchanges throughout this second spell. They certainly started the half sharply, Rood forcing Berger to concede possession on half-way four minutes after the resumption. The speedster burst through, and enjoyed a fortunate ricochet when Erceg's attempt to step in and clear cannoned off the striker into a space which allowed Rood to let fly. This effort flashed just past Rolls' right-hand post, while a thirty-five yarder from Campbell, three

minutes later, forced a fine save by the 'keeper, Rolls being forced to tip the effort over the bar mere seconds after an enterprising Rovers raid which featured a sumptuous back-heel by Paterson to bring Bowen into the attack. Rolls' save brought about a corner, which Campbell delivered onto the head of Rood. She directed her header straight at United's 'keeper, whose next involvement in the game would be far more controversial. Beforehand, it was Yates' turn to pull off a save. Having seen her corner cleared back to her, Robert hoisted over a 58th minute cross which threatened to go out for a throw-in on the far side of the pitch. Fortunately for United, Jensen was able to gather it in before beating an opponent and picking out Kirsty Hayr with a measured cross. She headed the ball down to Erceg, who was still up in the attack following the corner, the central defender swivelling to shoot, only for her effort to take a deflection en route to Yates' welcoming grasp. Following this, United introduced Jasmine Pereira into the fray, and she made an instant impact with her jet-heeled pace. Harrison was raced around in the 62nd minute as the substitute engineered space for a cross which just evaded Puketapu, while seconds later, another of Pereira's pace-laden thrusts saw her pick out Pearl as she arrived near the back post. How the midfielder contrived to lift the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard box, only she will know. It certainly wasn't Pearl's night, that's for sure. And for a brief moment in the 67th minute, it looked as if it wasn't going to be Rolls' night, either. Caitlin Smallfield's ball forward found Bowen buccaneering through the inside right channel with United's defence temporarily missing, presumed having a good time. Rolls had no option but to charge out of goal, and she sent Bowen tumbling right on the edge of United's penalty area - indeed, she could well have been just inside the box when the 'keeper made contact. Cue another round of hearty appeals for a penalty by Glenfield's faithful, not to mention calls for a red card for Rolls. Referee Keighley wasn't moved by their cries, awarding a free-kick right on the edge of the box before cautioning Rolls, who was spared the red card thanks to Berger beating a hasty retreat towards the target. To make matters worse for Rovers, Campbell failed to hit the target with the resulting free-kick, while Rood thought she had broken the deadlock in the seventieth minute, only to be thwarted by the offside flag - the pass to her came a split second too late. Glenfield were well on top at this point, but five minutes later, a stray pass from Hoeksema gifted possession to Puketapu, who slipped a pass to Pereira before going for the return. It duly arrived in behind Rovers' rearguard, but Yates was out swiftly to deal with the threat posed by the striker. If only she had been as decisive eleven minutes from time. Seconds after Smallfield had broken up another raid featuring Pereira and Puketapu, Erceg sent the ball downfield, the ball ricocheting off Harrison towards Glenfield's goal. There appeared to be no threat as Yates started to advance off her line, but for a moment she stopped, and that was all the incentive Puketapu needed to race in from nowhere and latch onto the loose ball, which she calmly took around Glenfield's goalkeeper before stroking it into the untended target. The goal came against the general run of play, but do you think the Three Kings players minded? Their delight was clear for all to see, and they nearly grabbed a second goal three minutes later when Pereira's volley on the turn was grabbed by Yates. Cue a Glenfield onslaught in search of an equaliser, punctuated by the odd decision from the referee which challenged people's thinking … and if you're still trying to figure out the reasons behind some of these calls, be assured you are not alone! Rovers substitute Briar McNamara was a central figure in the frenetic final minutes of this encounter, firing narrowly wide from twenty-five yards after her angled run had been rewarded by Rood's measured through ball, before being thwarted by, firstly, Jensen, then Berger, in separate incidents which saw both defenders making vital blocks to prevent the substitute from levelling the scores. In between these incidents, a wickedly struck Campbell corner was tipped onto her crossbar by Rolls, prompting a scrambled United clearance which was enough to keep Rovers at bay and earn the visitors a very welcome three points in what is one of the most closely contested title races in many a year - having five teams still in title contention at this stage of the season is nigh on unheard of in the women's game. Glenfield:     Yates; Bowen, Smallfield, O'Neill, Harrison; Knott, Campbell, Hoeksema; Paterson (McNamara, 73), Rood, Oosterhof (Innes, 84) Three Kings:     Rolls (booked, 67); Anthony, Berger, Erceg, Jensen; Mathews, Kolose, Pearl; Hayr (Pereira, 61), Puketapu, Robert (Crasborn, 77 (booked, 90)) Referee:     Anna-Marie Keighley