The Crewe Alexandra Ladies FC First Team made the trip to Darlaston this morning to face Wolves Women FC in our penultimate pre-season friendly of the summer.

Against a Wolves team who will be playing at the same level as ourselves this season, the opening stages of the game saw both sides looking to get comfortable in possession with full back Kerry Green closing down the Wolves midfielders to prevent an attack taking place.

The first effort on goal came from the home side in the seventh minute however the Wolves left winger fired into the side netting. A good clearance from centre half Abbey Whittingham denied Wolves the opening goal as a striker was steaming into the box right behind her as the CALFC defence continued to press the ball brilliantly well.

A dangerous Wolves corner was cleared off the line in the 12th minute by Tori Howard on the far post as the home side looked for the opener. Following a couple of substitutions we began to force the home side into long balls which were easily dealt with while at the other end striker Shanice Finbow showed superb commitment to close down the keeper and blocking a clearance which unfortunately went out for a goal kick.

Finbow was in the thick of the action once more three minutes later as the midfielder provided a lovely through ball, however it was just too weak for striker Emma Lambourne as the Wolves keeper came out to gather before a cross from the home side was once again cleared by Whittingham in the six yard box. CALFC goalkeeper Charlotte Baddeley looked very solid and controlled during the opening half and claimed numerous crosses with ease.

One of the best chances of the first half for the Alex came just after the half hour mark as after some excellent pressure in the Wolves half, midfielder Tasha Durham found herself through on goal, however the strike went over the bar. As the half wore on we began to look more and more dangerous with some excellent link up play in the midfield.

With five minutes to go before the break, we took the lead thanks to midfielder Lexie Harrison who found the bottom right corner with a well taken finish from inside the area. In the final couple of minutes Wolves looked for a quick equaliser however the Alex defence stood strong before Baddeley claimed a high ball well.

As the referee blew the half-time whistle, we were ahead 1-0.

The second half began with CALFC continuing our good attacking work from the first half as Lambourne produced a fantastic through ball however the experienced stand-in captain Leanne Derry couldn't manage to knock it past the keeper. At the other end in the 49th minute Alex keeper Baddeley made a sensational double save before once again standing strong to keep out the Wolves left winger.

With the wind beginning to pick up in the second half, it began to effect the CALFC set-pieces as a corner was blown high and straight out. The home side then began to apply a good amount of pressure on the back four with both Whittingham and Durham being required to make clearances as the game reached the 57 minute mark with the Alex staying strong and well positioned.

Just before the hour Lambourne made a break down the left wing before having a cross blocked and sent out for a corner. The resulting set-piece wasn't cleared efficiently by Wolves as we stayed in attack, however a Harrison through ball was just too heavy and picked up by the keeper. Despite the continued pressure in the Wolves half, the home side were beginning to cause our defence some problems as we just escaped when a corner dipped just wide of the post before another was claimed by Baddeley.

With 20 minutes remaining, we kept up the pressure on the Wolves midfield and not giving them enough space to provide a defence splitting pass before midfielder Holly Espie escaped her marker in the area but couldn't get anything onto a driven cross. In the 78th minute Wolves were level after substitute Nicki Lal took advantage of a stumble at the back to finish low.

CALFC looked to take the lead again immediately with a long range effort from Durham which dipped just over the bar. A Wolves free-kick from the left was then excellently punched by Baddeley, who then did well to chase the ball down and pounce on it at the edge of the box.

Lal was looking dangerous for Wolves after coming off the bench and had another powerful effort on goal from just inside the area, but this time it flew over the bar. As the game headed into the final ten minutes it was noticeable that we were beginning to tire on what turned out to be a hot afternoon in Darlaston.

The home side were attacking on a regular basis with the solid Whittingham once again standing strong, blocking a shot from the right side of the box. However the resulting corner was driven into the six yard box and headed home by the Wolves centre-half who rose highest above the Alex markers. A matter of minutes later it was 3-1 as Wolves took advantage of the tiring defenders with Lal breaking through the middle and finishing despite the best efforts of Baddeley.

One final effort came from Wolves in the last minute which went over before the referee blew the final whistle. Although the result wasn't in our favour the continued fitness work and noticeable improvements in every area of the pitch will leave us in good stead as the season nears ever closer.

The final pre-season friendly will take place next Sunday afternoon as we travel to take on York City Ladies.

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