Somerset County Women’s League division one: Cheddar Ladies 3, Wellington Wildcats 1
Wellington AFC’s Wildcats Ladies made the trip to Cheddar knowing they would need to be at their best and, despite suffering defeat, there were plenty of positives to take from a much-improved all-round performance.
The hosts struck first on 13 minutes after a high ball was launched out of the Cheddar defence into the Wildcats half.
Wildcats were unable to fully deal with the dropping ball, allowing Cheddar to capitalise with a sublime finish which went in off the upright to give the home side an early advantage.
Rather than letting their heads drop, Wildcats responded superbly, taking control of possession and dominating the next 20 minutes.
That pressure was deservedly rewarded when Milly Howe drove powerfully home from the edge of the box to level the scores, capping a sustained spell of attacking play.
Wildcats continued to push, and Leah Morrell thought she had completed the turnaround with a fine finish, only for the flag to deny her for offside.
Deep into first-half injury time, Cheddar regained the lead with another composed finish, leaving Wildcats trailing 2–1 at the break despite their strong showing.
With the pitch deteriorating rapidly, the second half was always going to be a tough, scrappy affair.
Wildcats’ player of the day Georgia Purdy was excellent, acting as the key link between defence and attack and helping the visitors create more chances than Cheddar after the restart.
Keeley Coates came agonisingly close when her effort slipped under the goalkeeper, who just managed to scramble back before the ball crossed the line.
Even closer, Robyn Stockman’s long-range strike hit the upright, bounced across the line and cannoned off the opposite post before being cleared.
As Wildcats pushed forward in search of an equaliser, the decisive moment came on 77 minutes when Cheddar broke on the counter from a Wildcats corner to make it 3–1.
Despite the result, this was a much-improved performance, with real positives in both attitude and style of play to take into the next fixture.
Team: Bianca Hamlyn, Grace Winter, Tenika Goss, Emily Ayers, Grayson Kennard, Milly Howe, Georgia Purdy, Charlotte Ayers, Robyn Stockman, Keely Coates, Leah Morrell. Substitute: Erin C (used).
On Sunday, Wildcats will be looking to secure their first points of 2026 when they play away to Middlezoy Ladies.
PHOTO: Georgia Purdy with coach Steve Crudge.
