Watford Women showed their class in a difficult FAWNL League cup-tie at Grosvenor Vale on Sunday, September 25.
A sunny Ruislip sky swiftly turned overcast as the referee’s whistle blew shortly after 2pm.
Watford set the tone early in the match, spraying diagonal passes and overloading the wide areas. Bryony Williams was subsequently called into action making two saves in quick succession inside three minutes.
However, it wasn’t long after this until the deadlock was broken. Recent loan-signing from Arsenal, Ellie Head, headed home from close range to give the Hornets the lead.
Despite Norwich’s best efforts defensively, Watford began to overwhelm. Veteran forward, Helen Ward, doubled the Hertfordshire side’s lead on 12 minutes.
Despite early adversity, City settled into the game and enjoyed some spells of possession in the moments that followed.
A first chance of the game stemmed from this, with the Canaries winning a free kick. Freya Symonds snuck her effort under the wall, but it was pounced on by the Watford keeper.
On the half-hour mark, Ward got her second and Watford’s third after some more devastating link up play, giving the Hornets a comfortable lead heading into the interval.
Seven minutes into the second half and the procession continued. Tricky winger, Flo Fyfe clipped an audacious chip in off the far post after some more lovely passing in the build-up.
When simply glancing at the score line, it’s not often you can commend a goalkeeper to the extent that Bryony Williams deserves. Watford broke again down the left, with Davison fizzing a low shot across goal, but Williams sprung across to get a strong hand to it. Without a second to admire her save, she was up in a flash to smother the subsequent rebound and deny a certain goal – something she did on several occasions during this game.
With ten minutes left to play, Watford got their fifth through Nicola Gibson, who’s finish gave echoes of a Josh Sargent finish against none-other than Watford, just last season.
On the topic of fine finishes – Chardonnay Johnston could have scored a screamer of her own, had it not been for a forest of Watford bodies in the box. A high ball fell to Johnston on the edge of the box following a corner, but her wickedly struck volley couldn’t make it through the crowd.
With almost the last kick of the game, Helen Ward completed her hattrick before the afternoon was drawn to a close.
Norwich return to league action next weekend, where they remain unbeaten. They will face Hounslow – a side who have only recently kick-started their season - at The Nest.