Exeter City’s promotion hopes were dented on Sunday when they suffered a first league defeat since September – south coast rivals AFC Bournemouth ending their run of eight straight wins in the FA Women’s National League Division 1 South West. Exeter still lead the table, but Cardiff City are now just a point behind with a game in hand.
Chances were limited in a hard fought game, with no goals scored in the first 45 minutes. It was Pearl Mortimer who broke the deadlock, putting Bournemouth ahead on 51 minutes, but Exeter responded within 7 minutes – Emily Toogood reacting quickly to a loose ball in the penalty area to slam home the equaliser. With both teams looking for a winner, the game opened up, and a driving run from Beth Everson in the 89th minute split the Exeter defence. She fed a perfect ball through to Molly Gladwell who sealed the victory with her first goal for the club.
We were fortunate to have Ian Middlebrook on hand to capture the action.
