Morpeth started far the stronger and quickly had the visitors on the back foot. However, York have the best defences in the league and with all eleven players behind the ball, it was proving difficult to create any clear-cut chances.

A set piece looked the most probable way the home side would be rewarded for their dominance but still the York defence held firm with several goal-line clearances being made.
Indeed on a rare sortie forward, York combined well to put their left-winger through on goal. Rose was smartly off her line though to block the rising shot.

Wardle made a number of penetrating runs down the right but Morpeth could only generate half chances, which their keeper capably dealt with.

With the game on a knife-edge, York won a short corner and through a well-practiced routine took the lead with Hindmarch unluckily not able to stop the angled deflection from crossing the line. Rough justice on the home side as the half time whistle was blasted shortly afterwards.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Morpeth retaining a lot of possession but struggling to find a way through the congested defence. York increasingly grew in confidence and rather controversially secured another short corner. This time the straight shot was blasted goalward and ricocheted off the top of the backboard doubling the lead.

Morpeth refused to give up and continued to press forward – if they could get one back there was still a chance that something could be salvaged from the match. Again, however, luck was not on their side. Wilson was unfairly penalised for the ball hitting her foot and from the resultant short corner a close range shot was driven into Hindmarch’s feet and a stroke awarded. The York penalty taker made no mistake.

York rather frustratingly started to time waste by simply hitting the ball off the back line or running to the corner flag to keep the ball. The home side continued to plug away but it just proved to be one of those days when a goal was not going to be forthcoming.

Team: Janice Rose; Karen Hindmarch; Lyn Watkins; Teleri Wilson; Katie Wardle; Sally Bryson; Emma Bell; Nicky Bowler (c); Arran O’Mahony; Lyndsay Pollock; Leoli Telford-Cooke; Cara Smith; Carrie MacDonald

Man of the match: Katie Wardle