By Chloe Evans, USW Sports Journalism Placement
Gwalia United and Keynsham Town shared four goals and the points in a Division One South West match at USW Sports Park, after a late penalty earned the visitors a draw. Gwalia had found themselves two goals to the good with just over the half played but managed to allow Keynsham Town back in to the game.
Both sides made a positive start, with Gwalia’s Bonnie Gready testing the Keynsham goal early on. Gready was a persistent threat chasing down the Keynsham back four. At the other end, Sach Kaneko-Grun came close to giving the visitors an early lead, but Gwalia goalkeeper Benedicte Haaland made a crucial fingertip save to keep the scores level.
Gwalia took the lead in the 28th minute. After the hosts had created a series of chances, Daisy Ackerman found the net to make it 1–0. Ackerman cut inside and unleashed a wonderful strike from outside the box that sailed over the Keynsham keeper to make it her seventh goal in three games.
Keynsham captain Mia Mugford briefly left the pitch after sustaining an eye injury in the 31st minute, but returned to join her teammates. Gwalia continued to press before the break, with several efforts in the visitors’ penalty area deflected away, one a header by Ackerman which seemed destined to double the lead, but the hosts went into half-time ahead by a goal.
Keynsham thought they had equalised after the restart when Abi Todd scored, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Gwalia then doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute, Esme Kilburn-Thompson finishing calmly from a through pass to put the hosts 2–0 up.
However, Abi Todd soon brought Keynsham back into the contest, finding the net after the visitors had increased the pressure in Gwalia’s box. It was a well worked goal from the visitors with some neat passing and accuracy.
In the 83rd minute, Gwalia’s Callie Jones and Keynsham’s Ellie-Mai Sanford collided and were briefly down before play resumed.
The decisive moment came in the closing stages. Haaland was sent off after a clash with a Keynsham player, and the visitors were awarded a penalty. Substitute goalkeeper Ameliah Yarwood came on, but Mugford converted from the spot to level the score at 2–2.
Both teams pushed for a winner in the final minutes, with Gwalia coming close twice, Ackerman and Kilburn-Thompson both having shots saved by there Keynsham Town keeper. Neither side could find a late breakthrough, and the match ended in a draw.
Manager Cori Williams-Mills reflected on the draw stating “I thought we weren’t ourselves second half. We had more gears to reach but we didn’t quite get there.”
Gwalia head to Maidenhead United next weekend looking to add an important victory to preserve a five-game undefeated streak and put pressure on the league leaders Bridgwater who defeated fellow promotion seekers Moneyfields yesterday.
