Goalkeeper Carly Telford says the Meadow Lane faithful were instrumental as Notts County fought from two goals down to earn a FA WSL 1 draw with Manchester City.
The away side started the brighter of the two teams and they made the early pressure show when County failed to clear a corner and Steph Houghton latched on to the loose ball and fired home.
Notts County 2-2 Man City
FA Women's Super League 1
Meadow Lane
Sunday 24 August 2015
Nikita Parris almost made it two before the break when her header bounced back off the crossbar – and the visitors looked likely to kill the game off.
That pattern stayed the same in the second period and Houghton doubled her tally with a wonderful freekick that left Telford with no chance.
But the hosts were given a lifeline with ten minutes to go when Lucy Bronze was adjudged to have handled in the box and Jess Clarke turned home the spot-kick.
Steph Houghton was deadly in front of goal
And the home fans were sent into raptures with time ticking down as Rachel Williams burst past Houghton and poked the ball past Karen Bardsley.
Telford said: “Look at the crowd we’ve got, and how can you not keep fighting and not want to do well when all these people turn out?
“We are grateful everyone that has turned out today, and I don’t think they realise how much difference they make to us.
“When we look like we are out on our feet and you hear a big crowd cheering, then you’ve got people chasing down balls and lost causes and next thing you know we’ve got two goals in the bag.”
Jess Clarke fires home from the penalty spot
While County will be toasting a point earned City will be cursing their luck after missing the chance to take three points home to Manchester.
But manager Nick Cushing says he is not panicking and knows his team still need time to gel.
“I’m pleased with the performance. As a coach I’m always looking for performance and I thought we were exceptional today,” he said.
“It’s been a real trait of our season really for the amount of possession and chances we’ve created, we’ve not scored enough goals, and we’re aware of that
“But in recent times we’ve scored plenty and it’s something we will try and improve on. We're still a team in its infancy and to play some of the football we have is exceptional for a team in only its second year.”
Notts County (4-4-2): Carly Telford, Alex Greenwood, Laura Bassett, Leanne Crichton (Aileen Whelan 69), Sophie Walton Dani Buet (Laura-Jayne O’Neill 77), Amy Turner, Desi Scott, Jess Clarke, Rachel Williams, Ellen White
Subs not used: Siobhan Chamberlain, Fern Whelan, Ashleigh Plumptre, Alice Hassall
Bookings: Alex Greenwood, Jess Clarke
Manchester City (4-4-2) Karen Bardsley, Lucy Bronze, Demi Stokes, Jennifer Beattie, Steph Houghton, Keira Walsh (Kathleen Radtke 88), Jill Scott, Isobel Christiansen, Toni Duggan, Daphne Corboz (Krystle Johnston 82), Nikita Parris
Subs not used: Alex Brooks, Georgia Brougham, Natasha Flint, Abbie McManus, Emma Lipman
Bookings: Steph Houghton, Demi Stokes
Attendance: 1,683
Referee: Aaron Bannister
