REDDITCH United Ladies boss Gary Barrell hailed his players’ commitment and fitness after their crucial 6-2 victory over fellow West Midlands Division One South promotion hopefuls Droitwich.
Sunday’s Valley Stadium win moved the Reds ten points clear of Droitwich, who have two games in hand, with third placed Worcester United 14 adrift of United having played seven fewer.
The Reds, captained by American Val Margerum in her final appearance before returning to California, led 4-2 at the break but had been given moments of concern by the dangerous visitors.
However, Redditch took a firmer grip on the match in the second half as they extended their winning league run to eight games to leave themselves sitting pretty ahead of Sunday’s (2pm) visit of Stourbridge.
“It was tough at times but our fitness shone through in the second half and that’s pleasing because we have placed a lot of emphasis on that this season,” said Barrell.
“We were made to work hard by Droitwich but we dug in at times and kept the ball moving well as the game went on, which allowed us to exploit the spaces as the opposition tired.”
In a frenetic start, the lively Sofi Liperis gave the hosts an early lead with a fine finish after ten minutes but Droitwich looked a threat on the break and they deservedly levelled on 20 minutes.
Margerum, impressive throughout, finished neatly to restore the Reds’ lead before Amy Kendall’s fine long range strike and a strike from former Droitwich forward Ellie Gerhold put United 4-1 up.
However, Droitwich hauled themselves back into contention with a goal just before the break to give the hosts something to think about.
A strong start to the second half was needed and it duly arrived as American and opposition player of the match Mari Karina Pastor scored a fine individual goal before Gerhold’s second goal of the game put the icing on the cake.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s encounter, Barrell added: “We’ve approached this week’s training sessions with the determination to break the 30-point barrier on Sunday, reach ten league wins for the season and secure our ninth league win in succession.”
Next up after the Stourbridge match – to which entrance is free and the bar will be open – is a key game at title rivals Worcester United on December 18.