Report: Blanchard header restores Palace Women to winning ways

Summary:

• Polly Doran restored to starting XI in Palace’s only change
• Right-back immediately involved but her cross for Blanchard is smothered
• Fran Kitching produces point-blank save from Durham’s Saoirse Noonan
• Blanchard combines with Hollie Olding but fires narrowly wide
• Crucial tackle from Kirsten Reilly denies Durham
• HT: Palace 0-0 Durham
• Palace straight on the attack after half-time, Blanchard denied by fine save
• Forward eventually gets her rewards, heading Palace in front on the hour mark
• Kitching denies Rio Hardy as Durham mount late pressure
• Palace defend boldly to withstand Durham offensive
• Chloe Arthur clears off the line for Eagles in final minute of stoppage time
• FT: Palace 1-0 Durham

After a run of five straight defeats in all competitions, Palace manager Dean Davenport will be delighted with his side’s resolve in beating a team who had knocked them out of the FA Cup just a fortnight prior.

Following a hard-fought loss to Southampton the last week, Davenport opted not to shuffle his pack, making just a solitary change: right-back Doran came into the starting XI in place of Arthur.

The Palace No. 20 was in typically adventurous form early on, driving forwards from full-back and aiming a cross towards the head of Blanchard which Durham keeper Naoisha McAloon did well to reach – and smother.

Further aerial attacks were launched by the Eagles through Paige Bailey-Gayle and Blanchard herself early on, the Hayes Lane crowd getting right behind Palace with their ever-present loud and proud chanting.

Durham had proven themselves one of the more physical sides in the Women’s Championship, and Palace goalkeeper Kitching felt the force of one such challenge after 20 minutes, requiring treatment.

She was back on her feet just two minutes later, however, to deny Saoirse Noonan the opening goal with a tremendous point-blank reflex save.

The game was beginning to open up, and Blanchard was next to come close at the other end of the pitch, combining well with Olding around the Durham area before firing in a powerful shot which scraped the outside of the Durham woodwork.

Anna Filbey was next to volley goalwards for Palace – on this occasion, over the bar – before a crucial interception from Reilly denied Durham the chance to run in on goal with half-time approaching.

Bailey-Gayle and Blanchard were offering no shortage of menace for the girls in red and blue, the former driving the ball narrowly wide, the latter causing Durham all sorts of problems with her set-piece deliveries.

When play resumed with the second-half, the end-to-end nature of the game continued. Blanchard had a low shot towards the bottom-right corner turned away by McAloon, while Aimee Everett produced an important sliding tackle to block Noonan’s shot for Durham.

The first goal was always likely to prove crucial – and, thankfully, it was Blanchard’s persistence which paid off for Palace on the hour mark.

It was Filbey with the corner-kick to create the opportunity, and the No. 10 – Palace’s newly-crowned Player of the Month for January – produced a towering leap to head home her fourth goal in her last seven games, and put the Eagles on course for victory.

As perhaps would be expected, the goal prompted a surge of Durham pressure, Kitching and Filbey in particular making important interventions as the clock ticked towards injury time.

There was to be one final chance for the visitors as Arthur – on as a second-half substitute – was in the right place at the right time to clear the ball off her own line.

Sometimes in football, you earn your own luck: that was not the case on Sunday. For all of Palace’s misfortune in recent weeks, they had fully earned their victory and three important points which pushed them up to sixth in the Women’s Championship table.

A just reward, as well, for the fine Palace support in attendance at Hayes Lane, who are sure to return on Sunday, February 26th for the Eagles’ next home game against Sheffield United.

Palace: Kitching (GK), Doran, Everett, Waldie, Reilly, Haines (Arthur, 89), Olding (Johnson, 88), Filbey, Blanchard, Bailey-Gayle (Sharpe, 88), Dean (Hughes, 89)

Subs not used: Negri (GK)

Durham: McAloon (GK), Briggs, Lambert (Farrugia, 83), Wilson, Robson (Galloway, 83), Hepple, Salicki (Hardy, 71), Bradley, Ayre, Noonan (Christon, 71), Clarke (Pritchard, 71)

Subs not used: Saunders, Wilson