YEOVIL Town manager Jamie Sherwood is adamant it is onwards and upwards for his side after a second-half blitz at Oxford United handed them their first FA WSL 2 victory of the season.
After a goalless first half, strikes from Corinne Yorston, Nicola Cousins and Annie Heatherson secured the victory for the visitors. The win was Yeovil’s first after two opening defeats, propelling Yeovil to fifth in the process as they leapfrogged their hosts – and Sherwood believes this is just the beginning.
“The group have played well in the previous two games but we haven’t taken a result so it was all about getting three points on the board and now start looking forward for the rest of the season,” Sherwood said.
“We lost against Doncaster, we had a performance too, now we’ve got the three points on the board and we can really start the season going forward.”
“We asked the girls to be patient, we’re a better footballing side than what we’ve shown here but I don’t think the conditions, in terms of the wind and the pitch was quite bobbly as well helped.”
“But I think we’re a better footballing side than what we’re showing but that will come with confidence. Three points on the board gives us more confidence and we look to play a bit more of our game.”
Yeovil came out after the break firing on all cylinders and Yorston bundled home to open the scoring after Annie Heatherson hit the bar.
Cousins then made up for a first-half miss just after the hour as she headed home following a corner, and Heatherson made the game safe as she poked the ball home at the back post.
“It was probably a fair reflection of the second half,” said Oxford boss Les Taylor. “First half, I thought we had a game plan and to a certain degree it worked, and we were hoping that the girls would go out and do exactly the same second half.
“But we conceded an early goal and that’s a massive boost for the opposition. When they scored their first goal, we had a chance down the other end exactly the same sort of situation and Lauren Allison’s shot goes past the post.
“So if we equalise, it would give us a massive confidence booster and who knows, at 1-1 the game could have gone either way.”
“We switched off for five minutes and even when it’s hit the bar, we haven’t reacted quickly enough, they’ve reacted first and the balls in the back of your net. So that’s after five minutes of the second half so we’re chasing the game and that really knocks you back.”
