PREVIEW: Woodbridge Town Ladies vs Brantham Athletic Ladies Devs

Woodbridge Town's Stacey Hadley in action

Woodbridge Town Ladies are at home for the final time this season as they welcome Brantham Athletic Ladies Devs to the Homestyle UK Ground. After a tough run of games the league title is out of reach for the Peckers, but second place is still achievable with a near-perfect run to the finish. Woodbridge are looking to end the season in a strong position, and build momentum ahead of the League Cup Final at the end of the campaign.

The Woodpeckers had only managed one win in their last seven before last Sunday, where Kesgrave Kestrels failed to raise a side - handing Woodbridge the home walkover and the three points. The most recent fixture that the Peckers did play was last Friday, as they fell to a 6-0 defeat to table toppers AFC Sudbury Women Reserves. A disappointing result, even if Woodbridge are still the only side to take points off the runaway leaders this season. 

Brantham Athletic have enjoyed a slightly better run, although their last game also saw them lose to Sudbury Reserves by two goals to nil. The Imps’ most recent fixtures include a 5-0 home win in the League Plate Semi-final against Kesgrave Kestrels, as well as a 0-1 defeat to the Peckers two Tuesdays ago.

That fixture earlier in the month is the only meeting between the two sides so far this season, with a Sadie Jamieson goal in the first half separating the two sides. That matchup showed the quality of this weekend’s opposition, and that Woodbridge will need to be at their best once again to get a result against Brantham. Last season’s meetings saw Brantham remain unbeaten against the Peckers, with a 1-1 draw and a 1-2 win.

Sadie Jamieson scored the only goal in Woodbridge Town's win over Brantham two weeks ago.

Woodbridge know that they need to improve on the performance from last time out, with key players also returning this weekend. Sadie Jamieson still stands as the league’s top goalscorer with seventeen goals in sixteen games, whilst Rhianna Kiwomya and Freya Emerick have also enjoyed decent campaigns. The Peckers will hope to replicate the defensive performance that saw them pick up a clean sheet in this fixture two weeks ago.

For Brantham, Ellis Rabey and Rachel White stand as their top scorers for the season with five goals each. Their defensive record is strong at home, but on the road the Imps have struggled to be solid and pick up results with only two away wins this season. Even though their record isn’t favourable, expect a strong performance from the visitors who are looking to climb the table.

A win for Woodbridge in this game would see them close the gap to the top three, if results elsewhere fall in their favour. If Brantham take the three points, they could jump ahead of Capel Plough and go only four points behind the Peckers. Also, AFC Sudbury Women Reserves could win the SGWFL Premiership title this weekend, if they claim victory against Kesgrave Kestrels.

It’s not been the end to the season that Woodbridge would’ve hoped for, with the packed schedule catching up to the Peckers. But, the Ladies can still end the season in a strong position if they can get back to winning ways. We look forward to welcoming you all to the Homestyle UK Ground for the final time this season - your support is always appreciated. Let’s get behind the team for the final five plus the cup final and, as always, UP THE PECKERS!

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