‘It just wasn’t our day,’ said Addicks’ Filbey

By Football Reporter

The Addicks succumbed to a single goal at a damp Oakwood pitch as Sunderland’s Grace McCatty’s goal made the difference between the two sides.

Grace McCatty’s first half goal was enough for Sunderland to grind out a hard-fought 1-0 win on the road at Charlton Athletic in the FA Women’s Championship. McCatty found the net for the visitors just after the half-hour mark following a goalmouth scramble, giving the newly-promoted side their third win of the season. Charlton continued to press in an effort to get back into the game but without success. The 2pm kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes as Charlton staff tried to remove excess water from the Oakwood pitch after a heavy morning downpour. Both sides had chances in the opening 15 minutes, with Abbey Joice shooting wide for Sunderland and Emma Follis then curling a shot over for the Addicks. Midway through the first half, Charlton’s Lois Roche floated a corner along the goal line, forcing Sunderland’s keeper Allison Cowling to punch the ball away from the danger area. The goal came just after the half-hour mark. Neve Herron’s shot was blocked, and in the resulting chaos, McCatty made no mistake from close range to give the Black Cats the lead. The hosts started the second half brightest, with Anna Filbey’s low free-kick ten minutes after the restart forcing Cowling into another good save. Charlton came close again with 20 minutes to play. Follis’ cross was cleared to Beth Roe, who shot just wide as the hosts looked for a leveller. Sunderland could have added a second late on, but Maria Farrugia was unable to break free of the defender to take a shot when in on goal. The result ends Charlton’s run of home wins at the start of this season at three.

To follow the action and sign up for The FA Player’s live Barclays FA Women’s Super League coverage visit womenscompetitions.thefa.com Charlton midfielder Anna Filbey said: “It’s a frustrating one for us all. First half, we weren’t moving it quick enough. We came out second half, I think we did that better. “But we just didn’t create anything in the final third when we got the ball there. We need to have a look at ourselves, to be honest. We need to not give free kicks in and around our box. “Teams like that thrive off of set pieces, and we’ve gone and given them a few and put pressure on ourselves. We need to look at that. “We were taking too many touches, dilly-dallying at the back. We just needed to move the ball, be more patient, and then go forward. It just wasn’t our day today. “We recover and we go again. We have a clean slate. We’ll work hard as ever, look at ourselves, reflect that game, and go again.” Sunderland goalscorer Grace McCatty said: “We knew that Charlton was going to be a tough test. Adding to that the journey, it was huge for us now. “To take away the three points, that’s what we came for. We’ve always said if we don’t concede goals, we give ourselves a really good chance of winning. “So for us, it’s all about defending. That’s the platform we build on. There are areas we want to improve on going forward. Defensively, I’m proud of the back four. I’m proud of the keeper. “I think we’ve done what we set out to do. Hopefully we can build on that this week. It’s my first goal of the season. It’s always nice to add at both ends. “As a defender, my aim is to keep a clean sheet, but if I can contribute going forward, it’s great. It just fell me to me, right place right time, but I’ll definitely take it.” Charlton Athletic (4-4-2): Eartha Cumings, Rachel Newborough, Vyan Sampson, Anna Filbey, Emma Follis, Megan Wynne, Elise Hughes, Keira Skeels, Lois Roche, Beth Roe, Mia Ross Substitutes: Jess King for Hughes 69’, Elisha Sulola for Newborough 76’ Substitutes not used: Sophie Hillyerd, Hollie Olding, Jess King, Hannah Godfrey, Lois Heuchan Sunderland (4-5-1): Allison Cowling, Grace McCatty, Charlotte Potts, Louise Griffiths, Jessica Brown, Emma Kelly, Neve Herron, Abbey Joice, Emily Scarr, Faye Mullen, Keira Ramshaw Substitutes: Holly Manders for Herron 59’, Maria Farrugia for Scarr 76’ Substitutes not used: Claudia Moan, Libbi McInnes, Eve Blakey, Grace Ede, Megan Beer Goals: McCatty 32' Bookings: Herron 36' Referee: Amy Fearn Attendance: 232