Barnet FC Ladies 1 West Ham United 3

South East Combination League

Sunday 10 October 2004

At Hanwell Town FC

Barnet FC Ladies suffered a set back in their quest for promotion from the South East Combination, when they were defeated by rivals West Ham United at Hanwell Town on Sunday.The Bees' fell victims to three superb long-range efforts from the Hammers, but nevertheless will not be happy with their overall performance.

In an opening period of few chances, it was the visitors who took the lead in the 16th minute.Aoife Aherne received the ball 30 yards from goal and was given time to set herself for an unstoppable shot, which left Bees' goalkeeper Jess Devoti with no chance of making a save.

Minutes earlier, the Barnet goalkeeper had been forced to make an excellent reaction save low down to her right.

Barnet's best effort of the opening period came after 38 minutes.They broke down the right hand side allowing Kerry O'Connor to feed her strike partner Beth Curtis.The Bees' top goal scorer cut inside, but could only shoot wide of the West Ham goal.

The Bees began brightly in the second period as they sought to find an equalising goal.Six minutes into the half, Charlie Longuehaye released Beth Curtis with an incisive pass.However, Curtis's shot lacked the power to beat Lacey in the West Ham goal.She was able to parry the shot, allowing her defenders to clear before Kerry O'Connor, the nearest Barnet forward, was able to react.

Young forward Stacey Sowden was introduced as a substitute in an attempt to liven things up in the Barnet front line.The young debutante's performance showed enough promise to suggest she would soon be challenging for a place in the starting line-up.

Disaster struck for Barnet after 53 minutes.Jess Devoti's clearance from a goal kick was held up in the wind, allowing a West Ham player to intercept and chip the ball straight back over the goalkeeper's head for a 2-0 lead for the visitors.

The visitors' made sure of the points with a third goal ten minutes from time.A visiting forward made a run across the face of the Barnet goal before firing in another unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Charlie Longuehaye restored some pride for Barnet in the closing minutes of the match when she met Bet Curtis's corner with a powerful header into the visitor's net.

Barnet will now have to ensure they achieve maximum points from their next four league matches against opposition from the lower reaches of the league, starting with a visit to bottom placed club Wembley next Sunday.

Barnet Team: Jess Devoti; Hannah Grover, Katie Wicka, Charlotte Herson, Cerrie Byrne; Tina Keech, Charlie Longuhaye, Hayley Johnson, Donna McGuigan; Beth Curtis, Kerry O'Connor.

Substitutes: Stacey Sowden (for Hayley Johnson 52 mins); Danielle Richards (not used).

Goalscorer:Charlie Longuehaye (86 mins)