Southampton vs Sheffield Wednesday

22 / saints
sOUTHAMPTON FC
WOMEN UPDATE
WILKINSON HAT-TRICK SEALS
ANOTHER THREE POINTS
Under the floodlights
of St Mary’s Stadium
on Wednesday,
Southampton looked to
register a fourth successive
league win and a seventh
game unbeaten, while visitors
Coventry United aimed to earn
their first points of the
campaign and lift themselves
from the foot of the table.
Somewhat surprisingly given
their difficult start in the
league, Coventry stunned
Southampton exactly one
month ago in the Continental
Cup, rolling out 2-0 victors
over Marieanne Spacey-Cale’s
side at Butts Park Arena. Lee
Burch’s team were impressive
that day, but endured a
nightmare start on this
occasion.
It was the tenacity of Katie
Wilkinson alone which earnt
the opportunity, the striker
not allowing Coventry to clear
their lines – and earning her
own luck in doing so as she
came onto a bouncing ball that
resulted from her own initial
block. Without hesitation,
the striker fired a magnificent
right-footed half-volley into
the bottom-left corner from
just outside the box, blasting
her side into the lead after just
27 seconds.
Coventry were the architects
of their own downfall for the
second goal 38 minutes later,
too. Goalkeeper Eleanor Heeps
was caught napping on the
ball by Pusey, who showed
fine awareness to steal and
cut a pass back into the path
of Wilkinson. The attacker’s
initial effort was blocked well
by the recovering Heeps, but
her second was too powerful
to stop.
With the visitors pressed
against the ropes, Saints
remained ruthless, allowing
their opponents just four
minutes of respite before
further extending their
advantage.
This time it was a delicious
cross from full-back Megan
Collett which proved the
catalyst, her whipped ball
causing havoc as it travelled
Katie Wilkinson celebrates completing her hattrick against Coventry United.