Army beat Navy to set up women's Inter Service Football title decider
The Army have beaten the Navy 2-0 to put themselves in a strong position in the hunt to win the women’s Inter Services Football Championships, setting up a decider with the defending champions, the RAF.
The result at Bracknell FC also put to an end the Army's hoodoo of the past three years – three consecutive defeats to the Senior Service.
Both sides looked to be seeking rhythm in the first 20 minutes – the Army entering the competition while the Navy were looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat to the RAF in Havant last week.
Soon after, the Army's Tara Parker came close, then Georgia Allen, in a passage of play in which the Army seemed to be finding their feet.
The deadlock was broken soon after the half-hour mark, as Allen was brought down on the right-hand side of the box and her skipper Anna Birtwhistle did the rest from the spot, putting her side 1-0 up.
Allen too got on the scoresheet shortly afterwards – the Army came free from some pressure in their own box, Birtwhistle put Tara Parker into some space, speeding up the pitch, spotted Allen across the box and put the ball across, with Allen controlling the ball, turning and firing it away on her left foot into the back of the net.
In the second half, the Army continued their control of the match, with skipper Birtwhistle continuing her threat all over the pitch.
Their opponents tried to force their way into the match, with Katie Shorter's effort around the hour mark stymied by a Nicole Gair save.
Izzy Crooks pushed her chance just wide ten minutes later, and Krissy Wright, in her final Inter Services, almost added a third for the Army, but the score stayed on 2-0 at the final whistle.
It sets up a winner-takes-all title decider between the Army and RAF in Lincoln on Friday 4 April.
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