Oteng double secures win over Sheffield United | OneFootball

Persis Oteng bagged a first-half brace to help our Women’s Under-21s to a 3-2 win over Sheffield United in the Professional Game Academy League (PGAL) on Wednesday afternoon.

Two goals inside the opening 10 minutes from the Ghana Under-19 International put us firmly in control of the contest in Sheffield and, despite the hosts halving the deficit back before half-time, defender Beatrice Cunnision headed home from a corner to reinstate our two-goal lead midway through the second period.

The Blades fired back once again in the closing stages of the game to create a nervy ending, but Nick Hardy’s side held on to secure their first victory in the PGAL since December and extend their unbeaten run to three games in all competitions.

That result saw us rise to sixth in the PGAL Division Two table, taking our point tally to 10 points and seven points behind leaders Birmingham City, as we host Brighton & Hove Albion next Wednesday (12 February).

It was an electric start to the game with two goals in the opening nine minutes and Oteng was at the double to take her tally to 13 in the league this term. We took the lead in the fourth minute, Jhanaie Pierre’s fizzed ball into the box was taken superbly by Oteng who turned her defender before firing home via the inside of the post.

Five minutes later, and it was a second for us and Oteng. The forward latched onto a wayward back pass from their full-back and, one-on-one with the hosts’ goalkeeper, she slotted the ball into the back of the net to put us in a strong position in the early stages of the encounter. Sheffield United managed to pull a goal back before the break with a fantastic strike from the edge of the box into the top right corner.

However, we quickly reinstated our two-goal advantage once again in the second half, Zara Bailey’s corner was met by Cunnison at the back post to head home from close range. We had opportunities to further extend our lead in the second period, Ruby Mace striking the woodwork with a free-kick before Oteng failed to convert one-on-one chances, but it was the home side who found the back of the net once again in the 75th minute.

Searching for our second win in the second phase of the competition, we defended resolutely to see off any late Sheffield United comeback to earn an important three points in the Professional Game Academy League Division Two.

"A good step forward and an opportunity for us to push forward for the rest of the season"

Reflecting on the win over the Blades, Nick Hardy told us: ""We were good value for the win, I think over the whole 90 minutes, it was well deserved. I’m pleased for the girls, pleased for everyone involved, even though we’re focused on improving and development individual, and as a group, it’s still good every so often to see that come to fruition in the form of a positive result.

"They [Sheffield United] were strong, organised, the pitch was tight which I think suited them, they were always in the game as we couldn’t get really ahead enough to put them out of sight, so it made for an exciting and interesting 90 minutes."

Asked about building momentum with recent results, he added: "I think momentum is really important, even the league game a few weeks ago against Leicester City where we were on the wrong side of the result, going down to 10 players early on. Today is a real reflection of the effort and energy of the girls since the return from Christmas.

"We have probably fallen short in a few 90-minute fixtures since we have been back, but have managed to win on penalties or get a bonus point, which is good for momentum and morale but the next step was earning the three points in the 90 minutes and the girls did that, it was thoroughly deserved, a good step forward and an opportunity for us to push forward for the rest of the season."