Norwich City Women maintained their unbeaten league run with a narrow victory over a formidable London Seaward on Sunday, February 4.
A late venue change saw the Canaries travel to Barking FC’s Lawtech Stadium on Sunday.
After minor disruptions, the game was finally able to get underway 30 minutes later than scheduled, with the visitors looking liveliest.
Both keepers were well-tested inside 10 minutes.
The first chance fell to the in-form Ellie Smith, but Tia Ginn was alert and equal to the early chance.
Sarah Quantrill was then called into action, getting off the mark quickly to smother Sam Lanza’s chance.
In the ninth minute, Norwich looked set to celebrate the opener as Rachel Lawrence wheeled away in celebration, but her joy was short-lived as the goal was ruled out for offside.
The visitors would eventually get their breakthrough moments later through the familiar face of Smith, who is enjoying a flying start to the calendar year.
The attacker read a wayward pass out the back from Ginn and calmly took it around the helpless keeper to roll the ball home.
The goal seemed to dampen the game, deflating the home side, and making it comfortable for the commanding Canaries.
After 20 minutes of little to write home about, the game burst back into life with five minutes to play in the first half.
In the 41st minute, Lawrence found herself in some space on the right flank.
The winger beat her opponent with some lovely feet and a good turn of pace before finding the head of Natasha Snelling with an inch-perfect cross for City’s second.
The Canaries looked to head into the half with a comfortable two-goal cushion, but Seaward had other ideas.
With fewer than 90 seconds left to play in the first half, Katherine Long found herself with time and space on the edge of the area before picking out the top corner to claw one back for the hosts.
The second half was a cagey affair from minute 46 to the final whistle.
Both Quantrill and Ginn were brought into action on a handful of occasions but largely from speculative efforts and few clear-cut chances.
Lawrence continued to be Norwich’s bright spark, winning her individual battles and getting shots off with frequency, but couldn’t get close to restoring the two-goal cushion.
As the game fizzled out, London Seaward became increasingly impatient, letting fly at every opportunity late on.
In the 90th minute, the hosts went alarmingly close with a half-volley from distance that Quantrill had to get a strong glove to, assuring the three points on the road.
Martin Herdman's side are back in league action next weekend, where they travel south to take on Haywards Heath.
Actonians: Ginn, Lee, Dunning, Cockerill, Burrows, Long, Lanza, Thomas-Arayo, Hoteit, Capparelli, McDermott
Goals: Long (45)
Subs: Carabott, Smith, Cannon, Anderson, Mulvaney
Norwich City Women: Quantrill, Parker, Flye, Smith, Snelling (Hailes 90+2), Larkins, Knights, Morran, Lawrence (Cook 76), Strauss, Kennard (Todd 67)
Goals: Smith (18), Snelling (41)