Pre-Season Friendly
Team: Francis-Pownall, Carolan, Searle, Jordinson, Lewin, Owen, Harris, Hill, Nygaard-Parsons, Stanley, Petit
Good luck, and thanks to the seven players who moved on during the summer, namely; Mel Hall, Brogan Moore, Nicole Leys, Ellen Wardlaw, Katie McLean, Gabby Bishop and Chloe Gunn respectively.
Included in the starting line-up was former Rangers player, Emily Hill who had arrived from Watford FC Women.
Also in attendance at Harlington were around 50 Hull fans and their mascot later went onto the pitch with the players.
It was the Tigresses who took the lead in the third minute when Rachael Ackroyd chipped the ball over Mya Francis-Pownall.
As the R’s looked for an equaliser, Ellie Searle got to the bye-line, and her shot just evaded the upright.
Rangers scored the equaliser when Emily Hill knocked the ball into the net following Grace Stanley’s neat pass.
City went close to regaining the lead when a lofted ball from the right-flank flew just wide of the target.
But it was the home side who scored next. Following some intricate ball control, Grace Stanley went on to fire it low into the back of the net.
Whilst at the other end, Mya Francis-Pownall made two superb, close-range saves in quick succession.
More good work from the R’s keeper followed. After the ball had been squared into the box, she made a very good save before successfully grabbing the ball at the near-post.
On the half-hour mark, one of the trialists replaced Ailish Carolan.
A good ball found Grace Stanley and the R’s striker let it run before forcing the City keeper to put it behind for a corner.
Rangers went further ahead just before the break, courtesy of Emilia Nygaard-Parsons. Half-time: 3-1.
Seven changes were made for the commencement of the second-half, which saw the arrival of a trialist in goal, plus Jo Blodgett, Laura Hennessy, Katie Akerman, Frankie Webster and two other trialists.
What had been a constant drizzle then became a heavy downpour as many spectators looked for cover.
The visitors pulled a goal back through Hope Knight following a defensive error.
Hull were certainly in the ascendancy at this stage and almost equalised when a shot came off the frame of the goal.
There was a return on 73 minutes for Emily Hill and an introduction for Izzy Owen and Katie Harris.
Fifteen minutes from time, Hope Knight nabbed her second goal of the afternoon to make it all-square.
City clinched the winner with around nine minutes remaining, when Lauren Wentworth’s shot from just inside the box evaded the R’s keeper.
Next up for Steve Quashie’s side is a behind-closed-doors friendly at Heston against Dulwich Hamlet.
Steve Russell