Westella & Willerby Women are Division 1 champions of the East Riding Women’s League. The team has had a fantastic season and completed their campaign with a perfect record of won 16 out of 16.
The women are now looking forward to the League Cup Semi Final against Division 2 champions South Cave. The game is on Sunday 22nd April at Hull University and the winners will meet Hunmanby in the final.
With today’s first team game at Dronfield called off at lunchtime, due to a waterlogged pitch, Craig Andrews’ reserve side took centre stage.
After a 4-1 midweek defeat against title chasing Reckitts, the team returned to form to beat Hodgsons 6-1. The result gave Ella a quck double over their opponents, following a 6-3 win over them only two weeks ago. Goals came from Tom Andrews, Adam Shanks 3, Jonny Gutherless and Ben Killingworth.
As the season comes to an end a number of Westella & Willerby junior teams will hope to finish on a high with success in the various cup and plate finals. The schedule of finals involving our teams is as follows:
Sunday 22nd April Dene Park 12.30pm Under 14 Plate
Parkside Raiders v Westella & Willerby
Sunday 22nd April Dene Park 3.00pm Under 18 KO Cup
Westella & Willerby v FC Eureka
Sunday 13th May Queensgate 10.30am Under 13 KO Cup
Westella & Willerby v Westella & Willerby Juniors
Well done to all teams for reaching their respective finals and good luck to all involved.
After a good week for the club Westella & Willerby’s push for the CML North Division title took a jolt following a 3-2 home defeat to Kinsley Boys.
The week started well on Saturday 7th April when the Reserves defeated Hodgsons 6-3 at Hill Top. In a good team performance goals came from Jordan Callis 2, Callum Stone 2, Tom Dent and Mike Pecora.
Monday 9th saw the first team travel to Clay Cross to play Parkhouse. With rain falling overnight and throughout the game this was always going to be a tricky fixture. After taking a 2-0 lead Ella were pegged back to 2-2 by the spirited home side. However Ella secured a victory with a goal 8 minutes from time. Goals came from Matt Fyvie and a Phil Winn brace.
To cap a fine few days, on Tuesday 10th the Reserves secured Humber Premier League Premier Division status with an excellent 1-0 win over fourth placed North Cave. Again team spirit was in abundance in a keenly contested game. It took a last minute screamer from Sam Pullman to secure the points and send everyone home happy.
On Saturday, with the grass pitch at Bishop Burton College unfit, the game took place on the 4G pitch next door. It was the visitors who started much the better with the wind behind them. After Adam Cameron and Carl Wilson had both gone close Kinsley took the lead on 23 minutes when Cameron set up Nash Connolly, who lifted the ball over Rick Watson from 20 yards. Ella struggled to make any in-roads against a well organised and enthusiastic opposition with only a couple of strikes from Owen Mountain and Rob Petch testing Ian McHarg in the visitors’ goal. At the other end Watson was forced to pull off a further two excellent saves from Cameron and Ben Phillips.
The second period saw Ella make a couple of changes and almost immediately it paid off with sub Mike Pecora netting following a Bobby Stevenson pass. Kinsley responded quickly and on 55 minutes they took a 2-1 lead with Connolly netting his second from close range following an excellent Callum Stapleton free kick. Ella responded and began to dominate possession and create chances. On 63 minutes Andy Coverdale set up Stevenson whose shot was turned on to a post by McHarg and on 68 minutes Jonny Slater set up Chris Spinks who fired against the bar from 12 yards. Ella equalised on 72 minutes when neat interplay between Stevenson and Coverdale saw Coverdale burst through and round keeper McHarg to slide the ball home. Once again though Ella were unable to retain parity and on 73 minutes Kinsley went 3-2 ahead. Following sloppy play in the middle of the park Liam Haller was able to play in an unmarked Wilson who fired home. Ella pushed desperately for an equaliser and created a number of opportunities with a Spinks shot and Mountain header testing McHarg. Right on full time they thought they had equalised when a Phil Winn header was signalled as having crossed the line but a free kick was given for a foul on McHarg and to make matters worse Stevenson was shown a red card for something said to the referee.
Westella: Rick Watson (c), Craig Havercroft (Tom Andrews), Andy Coverdale, Bobby Stevenson, Phil Winn, Gareth Slater, Chris Spinks, Owen Mountain, Matt Fyvie, Rob Petch (Mike Pecora), Mike Thompson (Jonathan Slater)
Westella & Willerby 5 – 0 Clipstone Welfare
Westella & Willerby gained three valuable points in their quest for the CML Black Dragon Division North title following a comprehensive 5-0 victory over current league leaders Clipstone Welfare.
In an entertaining tactical game Ella started brightly and took a 9th minute lead thanks to a terrific strike from young central defender Phil Winn, who picked up the ball on the edge of the visitors box and slipped past a couple of defenders before driving the ball past Steve Boot. Clipstone tried hard to get their short passing game going but were unable to trouble the Ella rearguard when they did manage to work the ball forward. The nearest they came to scoring was a 25th minute strike from Anthony Rowland that was deflected narrowly wide. On 29 minutes Ella went two up when a clever Chris Spinks pass played in Matt Fyvie, who did brilliantly to fire the ball across Boot and in off the far post.
The second period continued in the same vein with both sides trying to keep the ball on the floor and probe for openings. It was the visitors who had the best chance at the start of the half but Mark Carter could only lift a Gary Castledine free kick over the bar from a couple of yards out. Ella responded and lifted their performance to another level and on 60 minutes they went three ahead when Rob Petch fed Spinks, who took the ball past a defender before rounding Boot and rolling the ball home. On 72 minutes it became 4-0, with Ella scoring a terrific goal. Bobby Stevenson played a ball into Mike Pecora who fed Spinks first time and he ran on to fire past Boot from an acute angle. Clipstone worked hard to get back into the game but failed to test Rick Watson in the home goal. On 78minutes Ella added a fifth, with another terrific goal, when Pecora played an excellent pass with the outside of his foot in to the supporting Andy Coverdale who took a touch before sliding the ball past Boot. In the 88th minute Clipstone fashioned their best chance of the game when James McCann played in skipper Sean Vella but Watson pulled of a good save from his close range effort.
Westella: Rick Watson (c), Alex Knaggs, Andy Coverdale, Bobby Stevenson, Phil Winn (Tom Andrews), Gareth Slater, Chris Spinks, Owen Mountain, Matt Fyvie (Tom Dent), Rob Petch (Mike Pecora), Mike Thompson
The top two teams in the CMFL Black Dragon Division (North) meet tomorrow when league leaders Clipstone Welfare visit Bishop Burton College. The game, sponsored by RIVERSIDE VOLVO, is a 3.00pm kick off.
With only three games remaining Welfare hold a 10 point lead over Ella, who have five games in hand. The old adage of ‘having the points in the bag’ will be tested over the next few weeks, as Ella lead a chasing pack who will all feel they have a chance of winning the title.
Clipstone won the first meeting 3-0 but come into the game after a 2-0 defeat at Kinsley Boys on Wednesday evening. Ella’s last outing saw them defeat Parkhouse 6-3 to advance to the semi final of the League Cup.
With no reserve game tomorrow manager Andy Foster has a full squad to select from.
Westella (from): Watson, Alcock, Havercroft, Knaggs, Winn, G Slater, Andrews, Coverdale, Spinks, Dent, Stevenson, J Slater, Tait, Thompson, Petch, Mountain, Fyvie, Pecora