Sunday October 7, 2007
National Division, Clitheroe
Rovers 4-2 Watford

ROVERS Ladies extended their unbeaten run to five games with a hard-fought victory over newly-promoted Watford to move up to second in the National Division table.

Karen Burke fired Rovers in front with just two minutes on the clock, before Helen Landler equalised for the visitors less than 60 seconds later.

Captain Natalie Preston restored Rovers lead with her third of the season on the stroke of half-time and Katie Anderton kept up her fine form in front of goal with Rovers' third midway through the second half.

Emma Beckett made the contest interesting with a long-range strike on 85 minutes, before substitute Stacey Daniel secured the points with her fifth goal in her last two games.

Manager Adam Lakeland said: "We wanted to start positively and went 1-0 up inside the opening couple of minutes, but it was a very similar first half to our away game against them. After going in front we conceded almost straight away.

"The first half was very stop-start, because there was a lot of injuries. Natalie Preston put us ahead at half-time and I felt we just about deserved it because we had played some really good football when we were given the opportunity.

"We found ourselves 2-1 up away at Watford and ended up losing 3-2, so we didn't want that to happen again. We knew Watford would come at us in the second half, but we defended well when we had to and I thought the girls who came on as subs added the extra energy we needed.

"This is the start of a big week for us and I've made my ambition quite clear - I want a maximum six points from these two league games and want to progress in the Premier League cup.

"I always knew it would take five or six games for us to get into our stride, but with the good players we've got, I knew we'd do well. We're getting stronger all the time and we're just going to take things game by game to win as many as we can. We've got the motivation and ambition to do well and we believe we can.

"I must give special mention to Stacey Daniel, who's trained really hard just to get into contention for a place in the squad and has now scored five goals in two games, and also to Lynda Shepherd, who sustained a nasty head injury in the first half, but her desire to carry on epitomises what this group of players is all about."

ROVERS: Hobbs, Eadie, Williams (Twohig 70), Brewer, Harding, Burke, Preston, Shepherd (Campbell 59), Penny, Anderton, Dixon (Daniel 70).

View pictures from the game with our match gallery. With thanks to www.kipax.com for the supply of the photographs.