Maidenhead United Women fire seven past Wycombe Wanderers

Maidenhead United Women capped off a fruitful pre-season week on Sunday afternoon with a seven-goal showing against Wycombe Wanderers to make it 10 goals in the week.

The Chairgirls from the Southern Regional Women's Football League were no real match for Ed Jackson-Sankey’s team who are really beginning to hit their straps.

With a number of promising new players in the squad, it was always going to take a few weeks for the Magpies to knit together and after some rusty-looking performances early in the pre-season campaign things clicked from kick off against the Wanderers at Bisham Abbey.

Within 30 seconds of the start of Sunday’s match a long throw into the box from Aleasha Lunn was inadvertently flicked on by a Chairgirls defender. The ball fell kindly for Simone O’Brien - who has suffered such a disrupted time recovering from a broken ankle - to skillfully flick the ball up and send a looping volley over the head of the Wycombe goalkeeper.

It was a stunning start but the visitors largely kept the Magpies at bay until a second goal arrived around 10 minutes before half time when Vicky Collett’s shot fell kindly into the path of teenager Izzy Stokcton, who scored with aplomb.

The second period really was one-way traffic as Jackson-Sankey’s side pulled on their shooting boots.

Top scorer in the 2022/23 season Natalie Cowell was next to hit the target, finishing Stockton’s pass in typically clinical fashion. Stockton was involved in the fourth goal too, shrugging off a defender to find herself through on goal. From the tightest of angle - and with the Wycombe ‘keeper committed - Stockton pulled the ball back to Kajal Malhotra who stood up an accurate cross which was nodded into an empty net by Cowell.

The fifth goal saw Stockton receive a pass and turn a defender before stroking home a composed finish and the youngster had a hat-trick when lobbing the Wycombe ‘keeper with the Buckinghamshire side ill-advisedly playing out from the back.

This made it five goals in as many games for Izzy after her mid-week brace against Brentford.

Lunn capped off the scoring with the team-goal of the game - rounding the ‘keeper after being put through on goal by a beautifully weighted O’Brien pass and the Maidenhead winger admitted that the match had been ‘such an improvement’ on recent displays.

O’Brien continued: “We saw it today, the two touches, passing out and being confident in decision making and it pays off and one (Stockton) gets a hat-trick.”

Stockton herself added: “We are just getting used to how everyone plays and we’re all starting to click now so goals will come.”

United’s season will start in earnest on Sunday, August 20 away at a Keynsham side who did a league double over the Magpies last term.

The preparation continues this Sunday with a trip to Abbey Rangers and the pre-season matches will conclude with a match at Dorking Wanderers (Sunday, August 6) and at Ascot United (Sunday, August 13).