Freya Worsley takes a look back on Brentford Women’s results in the final month of the season.
The women’s first team had a solid end to their 2022/23 league campaign where they won two out of three games but unfortunately just missed out on the league title finishing four points off league leaders Dorking Wanderers who claimed promotion to the Premier Division.
Sunday, 7 May
Richmond Park 0 Brentford Women 1
Karleigh Osborne’s side made a strong start to the month as they scored late on to beat Richmond Park 1-0 away from home. After a slow start from the visitors, they soon sprung into life and had a great chance to go ahead on 10 minutes when Kirsty Matthews found Chloe Logie but the striker’s effort was saved well by the Richmond keeper. It was a fairly even affair between the two sides with both teams having a few good chances to get the game's first goal. Brentford eventually got themselves ahead late on in the second half when a Nikki Woods corner found the head of Regan Graver who was unmarked and she made no mistake as her effort ended up in the left-hand side of the goal. Graver’s first goal of the season sealed an important victory for the women’s first team in what was a tough match against a strong Richmond Park side.
Speaking on the game, Worsley said: “It was a very tough match, I thought we played really well even though Richmond matched us throughout the majority of the game. We had quite a good few chances to go in front in the first half of the match so we were slightly disappointed to go into the break level but we showed our resilience and pushed on to get the win late on in the second half.
“It was nice to see Regan score her first of the season and with the goal coming at such an important time for us it made it an even bigger achievement. It was good to see some variation, you can see from the stats Chloe Logie scores a huge amount of our goals which is fantastic but it’s nice when an unlikely figure manages to get themselves on the score sheet. Regan has had a fantastic season and has been an absolute rock at the back for us so she deserved that moment.”
Graver celebrates
Sunday, 14 May
AFC Whyteleafe 1 Brentford Women 2
Brentford Women picked up another vital victory on the road a week later with two Chloe Logie strikes ensuring a 2-1 win over AFC Whyteleafe. Logie goals proved to be enough as she helped the side to victory in what proved to be a tough trip to South London. The striker opened the scoring on 13 minutes when a perfect pass from Worsley found the number nine who confidently slotted the ball into the bottom corner. The Bees were in complete control in the opening half but found themselves going into the interval level after Whyteleafe scored from a corner just before the break. The visitors made an impressive start to the second half with Logie finding the back of the net again eight minutes after half-time. Whyteleafe heaped the pressure on following the Brentford goal but the Bees showed determination to see out the late pressure as they earnt another three points on the road. The victory made sure the battle for the league title went down to the final game of the season.
Talking on another important win, Worsley explained: “We knew heading into the game that it was going to be competitive, Whyteleafe are a good side who have got points from Dorking previously this season so we knew we would have to be at our best. They played a very attacking formation with four forwards so I thought our defence did really well to keep their front line quiet. We were very dominant in the first half and were unlucky to concede from a set piece just before half time, defending these situations is something we know we need to improve on especially if we want to be challenging for league titles.
“Logie scoring just after the break was great but it meant we had to retain our lead for the rest of the half which was tough but fortunately we did really well. Chloe is a dream to play with as a midfielder, every time I play a pass through to her I’m confident she’s going to score which is a great feeling to have. She is another really important player for us and without her goals this season we wouldn’t be challenging for a league title on the final day of the campaign.”
Worsley put in a stunning performance against Whyteleafe
Sunday, 21 May
Watford Ladies Development 3 Brentford Women 2
It was a disappointing end to the season for Brentford Women as they saw their six-game win streak in the league come to an end on the final day following a narrow 3-2 defeat to Watford Ladies Development. The women’s first team came into the match needing to win but also to rely on Dulwich Hamlet Reserves to take points from Dorking Wanderers in their game. Brentford found themselves a goal down inside the opening 15 minutes but showed great character to bounce back moments later after Woods scored an unbelievable free-kick. Logie then took her goal tally to an incredible 36 for the season as she slotted home confidently to give her side the lead going into the break. After what had been a gruelling season for the Bees, their performance levels dropped in the second half which allowed Watford to get on level terms before snatching a late winner on 85 minutes. The defeat for Brentford ensured a second-place finish in the London South East Regional Women’s Football League Division One North with Dorking going up as champions.
Looking back on the defeat, Worsley said: “We were all gutted to end the season in that way, in terms of the league standings it didn’t change anything because Dorking had won their game but we still want to win every game we play and make sure we put in strong performances, so it was tough to take.
“We put so much into this season and I think it showed in that second half as there were some tired legs out there. It’s important that we keep our heads up high as we have achieved a lot over the campaign, and I believe we are moving in the right direction so I’m sure we will bounce back next season and go again.”
Worsley vs Watford Ladies Development