GILLINGHAM LADIES NEWS WITH JULIAN HART
UNBEATEN START FOR GILLS LADIES Gillingham Ladies have made a strong start to the new FA Women’s Premier League Season, beating MK Dons LFC at their new home ground of Corinthian Sports Club last Sunday, having drawn away at Luton Town LFC in the opening game seven days earlier. The Gills raced to a three-goal lead in the first half against MK Dons, their first game at their new home in Longfield. April Bowers scored a penalty in the opening five minutes of the game, and they doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark, as Amy Taylor dodged past the Milton Keynes Dons defenders’ challenges to place a low shot into the bottom left corner of the net. 58 THE GILLS
Flowing football led to the third goal: a smart one-two pass between Bowers and Lauren Williams on the edge of the box saw the latter find time to coolly slot home. The Dons managed to pull one goal back midway through the second half, when a looping shot from outside of the penalty box managed to beat Gills goalkeeper Courtney Shanly, who could not get a hand to stop the shot going in. Foundation This victory built on the strong foundation the team gave themselves in their 1-1 draw away to Luton on the opening day. The Gills line-up saw the return of two former players,
Vicky Ashton-Jones and Fliss Gibbons. Ashton-Jones, who previously spent seven seasons at the Gills between 2007 and 2014, joins from Brighton and Hove Albion WFC on loan. Gibbons signed from Millwall, having been a Gills player in the 2013/14 season, in which the club managed their highest-ever league finish of second in the Premier League South. After a balanced opening half, it was the hosts who took the lead just five minutes after the interval. Luton forward Dionne Manning latched onto Michelle Byrne’s through ball and slotted past Shanly. But just four minutes after conceding, the Gills Ladies www.gillinghamfootballclub.com