Buckland Athletic Ladies signed off a successful 2016 in style with a dominant display against a Plympton Ladies side who were never at the races.

Main picture: Captain Maria Warman leads Buckland to another fine win as they end 2016 on a high. (c) MiraclePR.com

After a positive start for the league leaders, which saw them carve out two or three early chances to go ahead, captain Maria Warman unlocked the Plympton defence with a diagonal ball into the path of Hayley Chamberlain. The latter charged forward down the left before crossing for Helen Kukor to head home the first goal on eight minutes. Kukor completed her first-half hat-trick and Emily Hannaford also found the net as Buckland raced into a 4-1 lead at the interval, substitute Lucy Rothero with the visitors’ goal.
Buckland sat back a bit in the opening few minutes of the second half but the management duo of Grant Fisher and Vanessa Casey refused to allow them to sit on their lead and once the midfield was running at Plympton again there was only one way this match was going to end. In fact, Plympton were restricted to just three shots on goal in the second half, two on target. Midfielder Courtney Butt was a handful for Plympton all afternoon as Buckland looked to get the ball down the right-hand channel to Laura Gough as often as possible. Three minutes into the second half, just such a move led to a Gough cross being headed to the feet of Maria Warman who clipped the crossbar with her shot. After another Yellows move down the right had ended up with a shot hit narrowly wide, Plympton suddenly picked up the pace and forced Abbi Bond into her first save of the half, ten minutes in. The next significant action saw the hosts awarded a penalty for a trip and up stepped Chamberlain to convert it. Unfortunately for her, the powerful shot cannoned down off the crossbar and, after a moment of panic in the visitors’ box, the eventual follow-up was hit well over. In the 73rd minute, Buckland struck the woodwork again, this time the post, but they didn’t have long to wait for number five which came five minutes later. Abigail Meyer hadn’t been on the pitch very long when an attack from the left ended up with Meyer hitting a low shot across the goalkeeper and into the bottom right. Buckland still wanted more and the sixth goal came in the last minute of normal time, Maria Warman on the left-hand side of the area hitting a venomous shot on the half-volley, giving the goalkeeper no chance. There was nearly time for Plympton to grab a second consolation four minutes into stoppage time as they were awarded a direct free-kick in a dangerous position. But the wall did its job and Bond was equal to the follow-up shot.