Norwich City Women fell victim to a 7-1 defeat at the hands of league leaders, Hashtag United at The Nest on Sunday, February 12.
Hashtag arrived in high spirits, dropping points just once this season on the opening weekend against Wimbledon. Since then, a procession of double-figure demolitions of opponents in both league and cup has seen them emerge as runaway title contenders.
City came into the game similarly sprightly off the back of their 4-3 thriller against QPR Women last time out. But emotions were to swiftly pivot.
Starting line-up returnee Chardonnay Johnston, who looked to be off to a dominant defensive start with a series of headed and volleyed clearances, lasted just five minutes before injury cut her day short.
The early change took the wind out of yellow sails and Hashtag looked to capitalise. Just four minutes later the visitors took the lead through skipper and goalscoring centre-half Grace Gillard.
Hashtag’s relentless pressure forced cracks to appear, and they would take full advantage. On 16 minutes, Hayley West doubled the away side’s lead.
The goals then became incremental. Six minutes later, the ball sat up nicely for Sammy Rowland just inside the box to strike on the half-volley and make it three.
Though clear-cut chances weren’t in abundance for Norwich, spells of possession and the occasional counter-attack at times appeared to deem the score line mis-representational of the performance. But there were no two ways about Hashtag’s clinical edge.
Just past the half-hour mark and Kat Canneman struck a piledriver of a long-range effort to deal a fourth goal hammer-blow to the Canaries.
With the interval approaching there was just enough time for one more as Gillard curled a free-kick just inside the post and out of Harper’s reach to make it 5-0 at half-time.
The second half was almost a different game. The Canaries emerged from the tunnel with a new lease of life and eager to right some wrongs from the first half. Despite this, injury was added to insult as Kathryn Stanley pulled up just four minutes into the second half.
Though the home performance saw vast improvements, Hashtag grabbed a sixth on 56 minutes through substitute, Kelly Wealthall. Their final goal of the afternoon came seven minutes later as Canneman scored her second and Hashtag’s seventh – four of which came from the centre-half pairing.
City looked to close out the game positively with some fresh legs and on the 70th-minute mark, substitute Olivia Cook did just that, controlling down a nodded-on pass before coolly slotting into the bottom corner.
The subsequent stages of the game became more exhibition-style, with the occasional Norwich attack as Hashtag dropped a gear and absorbed some pressure, but there would be no further goalscoring action for either side.
City will now look to bounce back in the County Cup next weekend when they face King’s Lynn on Sunday, February 19.
Norwich City: Harper, Johnston (Ward 5), Parker, Larkins, Todd, Snelling (George 73), Stanley (Cook 49), Symonds (Russell 73), Knights, Flye, Morran
Hashtag United: O’Hanlon, Kelly (Frazzoni 55), Gillard, Nutman, Samways, Rowland (Pascale 55), West, Alpindia, Adams (Wealthall 55), Garwood, Griffiths (Abrehart 55)
Attendance: 325
HT: 0-5
FT: 1-7