Huddersfield Town Women lose to heartbreaking last-minute goal at Cheadle Town Stingers
A first-half own goal off Kate Mallin's free kick gave the Terriers the advantage, only the for the hosts to fight back to a late victory
Manager Glen Preston believed 'a draw would have been fair' after Huddersfield Town Women's 2-1 defeat against Cheadle Town Stingers — a side that narrowly missed out on promotion on goal difference last season.
Felicity Jones set an optimistic tone early in the game, taking a shot in the first minute. Shortly after, Kate Mallin put the team ahead within the first 15 minutes in one of Town’s toughest away trips of the season. Preston later praised Mallin's performance, calling it ‘fantastic’.
But things quickly shifted when Cheadle's Jess Gillin scored in the 19th minute, with goalkeeper Bethan Davies looking to have made a brilliant fingertip save only for the ball to clip the post and go in.
Davies went on to save a first-half penalty to keep the score level, and head coach Glen Preston felt that on the whole his side handled conceding that equaliser ‘particularly well’.
He added : "I don't feel that over the 90 minutes we were under an immense amount of pressure at any point."
In the second half, Town pressed harder in an effort to reclaim the run of game, but were unable to restore their lead.
With the game looking set for a stalemate, Cheadle stunned Town by seizing an opportunity in the 90th minute as Housley lost her footing inside the Terriers box, with Cheadle's Rachel Dunlop pouncing to score.
Reflecting on the loss, Davies said: "We got frustrated in the first half because we were moving the ball quite well, but they were organised and limited us.
“It's disappointing to lose in that way and in that minute of the game.
"When you have both teams pushing for that win, it's going to be a more open game in the last few minutes."
Despite the disappointment, Davies remains optimistic, adding: "We’re ready to push on. We knew their game plan; they just executed it well."
Huddersfield Town will have a chance to bounce back and reclaim victory next Sunday as they face York City at home.
