SSFC Women hit Consett Ladies for six in pre-season thrashing

South Shields Women’s perfect start to pre-season continued with an impressive 6-2 win away against Consett Ladies on Sunday.

Sophie Greener was highlighted as the stand-out p[ayer, which continued her great form during training in the week, and her two screamers were incredible to witness.

Elsewhere, Eve Gatens managed to score from a corner (the Consett keeper fumbled and dropped the ball), Olivia Mole got in on the action with a strike from range of her own, Jaz Elliott-Wood headed it in from a corner - as she does - and an unfortunate clearance from a Consett defender ended in an own goal. 

The hosts got back into things twice but with a display that impressive going forward, some may argue the best way to counter defence is by attack and that’s exactly what The Mariners did. 

Head coach Alex Miller made a handful of changes, in order to give her squad minutes all-round. 

Ellie White was unavailable through illness, while Monica Innes continued her recovery from torn ankle ligaments, sustained during the Washington FC match on July 28th. 

The players were unconditioned to playing in 20C heat and it showed; in the early stages it could have been argued to have been a quiet affair in front of goal, much like the two games that had preceded it, in spells.

Things all changed when the first goal came flying in, and what a hit it was by Greener! Before too long Gatens made it two, scoring directly from a corner, with the help of the Consett keeper making a mistake.

Two became three when Mole struck gold, and four quickly followed. Some would be led to believe it was a carbon copy of the first goal, and that’s because it almost was.

Elliott-Wood guided her free-kicks beautifully and found Greener (twice) who launched her rockets in such a similar way. 

The team’s fifth of the afternoon came straight from a corner too and Elliott-Wood was on the end of that one to give The Mariners a commanding lead heading into the break.

Consett had pulled one back before Elliott-Wood's header courtesy of Jade Fenton, and they followed that up with another one thanks to Steph Curry early in the second-half, but parity was restored in a way when their defender misjudged a clearance and headed it into her own net.

The lasses’ final pre-season game is scheduled for this Sunday, against Whitehaven AFC Ladies. More information will be provided later in the week on our social media channels. 

South Shields Women: Gowans, Mole, May, Greener, Legg, Gatens, McMahon, Norton, Elliott-Wood, Naylor, Foster. 

Subs: Ali, Wootten, England, McDonald, Longstaff (all played).