Cardiff Met 4-3 Cardiff City: Turner gets winner in a seven goal thriller
Cardiff Met WFC 4-3 Cardiff City in the Adran Premier at Cyncoed Campus on the 23 January 2022. Credit: Carl Robertson/Cardiff Met Sport
Cardiff Met took the share of the spoils as they beat Cardiff City in a seven-goal thriller in which the Bluebirds came back from 3-0 down.
Two first-half goals from Elianna Chavez and one from Emily Allen put Met 3-0 up at halftime.
Goals from Ffion Price, Phoebie Poole, and Zoe Atkins though bought City back into the game. Only for Stephanie Turner to score the winner 20 minutes from the end.
The Archers are now four points behind league leaders Swansea City with the two set to meet on the opening day of Phase Two in mid February.
The first opportunity of the half came in the 15th minute when Met were awarded a penalty. The Bluebirds were caught out by a quick free-kick routine. Allen sent a low cross into the box and while Ellie Preece tried an attempt on the turn, Ceryn Chamberlain rushed out and bundled the Met striker over, and the referee had no option but to point to the spot. Allen stepped up and powered it low down the middle to put Met one up.
The second came from another Chamberlain error. Preece made a darting run into the box and her shot was poorly parried away by the City keeper into the path of Chavez, who had the easiest of tap ins to make it 2-0.
Three minutes before half-time, Met had their third. Great play again by Preece to make space for herself and send a cross into the box, where Chavez coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner and Met went into the break with a deserving three-goal lead.
City need a Herculean effort to get back into this game, and they produced just that.
First, after a goalmouth scramble, Catherine Walsh played the ball back to Price, who then produced a mesmeric strike from 30 yards out, leaving Annabel Sweeney with no chance of saving it to make it 3-1.
Six minutes later the Bluebirds cut the deficit down to one through Poole. Poole latched onto an excellent through ball from Danielle Broadhurst and Poole put the ball in the bottom corner.
The equaliser came three minutes later. Price did some great work down the left and put the ball into the box, and it was Atkins who rose highest and diverted the ball into the top corner to make it 3-3.
With City in the ascendency, it would be easy for the home team to crumble, but they showed their quality on got the winner in the 72nd minute. A free kick from Lauren Hutton Townsend evaded everyone in the box but lurking at the back post was captain Turner, who poked it into the net.
The goal was definitely a hammer blow for the visitors and they didn’t create any clear cut chance after, and Met held on for a dramatic victory to keep the pressure on league leaders Swansea City.
Both teams have qualified for the championship group, so will face each other again this season, and City will be out for revenge.
Player of the Match: Ffion Price
There were so many candidates for player of the match but for me, it has to go to Ffion Price. Her goal was the catalyst for City’s comeback, and she really drove her team forward. Price certainly didn’t deserve to be on the losing side today.
Cardiff Met: Annabel Sweeney (GK), Amy Long (Shannon Evans, 68’), Lucy Finch, Tiggy Webb, Stephanie Turner (C), Sophie Hancocks, Jessie Taylor, Lauren Hutton Townsend, Ellie Preece (Emily Richards, 83’), Emily Allen, Elianna Chavez
Subs: Charlotte Smith (GK), Kennesha Nanette
Cardiff City: Ceryn Chamberlain (GK), Lisa Owen, Ffion Price, Hannah Daley, Siobhan Walsh (C), Phoebie Poole, Seren Watkins, Catherine Walsh, Danielle Broadhurst (Amy Williams, 87’), Danielle Green, Megan Saunders (Zoe Atkins, 60’)
Subs: Amelia Forkings (GK), Emily Bayliss, Hollie Smith
