Women's football: Sophie heads home to seal narrow win
Sunderland continued their recent run of good form to extend their lead at the top of the Tesco FA Women's National Premier League to six points.
In a scrappy game, strugglers Bristol pushed Sunderland all the way to the final whistle when another defeat was confirmed.
Early exchanges were even but the Wearsiders took the lead with their first meaningful attack in the eigth minute.
Kelly McDougall brought the ball through the middle before releasing Sarah Danby on the left and she cut inside her defender before beating keeper Amber Thornell at her near post. Sophie Williams went close to a second moments later but Bristol stunned the home side with an equaliser on 17 minutes.
Sunderland gave the ball away on the left and it was picked up by Emma Plewa who surged down the wing to cross behind the defence. Helen King was there to run on and beat the advancing Rachael Laws from eight yards.
Natalie Gutteridge had a header partially cleared from a corner but Jordan Nobbs volleyed over from the edge of the box.
At the other end a powerful run by Alex Windell saw her cross just evade the outstretched foot of King.
McDougall and Demi Stokes then combined well to set up Nobbs, who saw
her fierce shot just clear the bar.
In the final action of the half, a Steph Bannon free-kick was headed against the post by McDougall and scrambled off the line before Gutteridge could get there.
Sunderland began the second half with more purpose and regained the lead on 49 minutes.
Fine play down the right involving Abby Holmes, Nobbs and Stokes saw the ball played into the middle for Williams to power a stooping header into the net.
Soon after Nobbs released Danby, who turned well on the edge of the box but Thornell pulled off a smart save.
Bristol's main threat came from the pace of Plewa. And from her cross Shelley Cox forced Laws into a fine save.
Nobbs was again just off target following constructive play between Stokes, Danby and Gutteridge.
Bristol pushed forward in search of the equaliser and gained three corners in quick succession before Nicola Devine cleared the danger.
Sunderland weathered the storm and Danby almost extended their lead when she robbed Middleton on the edge of the box but saw her lob beat the keeper only to go just over the bar.
Stokes was unlucky not to get on the score sheet as her powerful run took her beyond the defence and round the keeper only for her shot to be hacked off the line.
Danby, Williams and Gutteridge also went close to adding to the score but as the final whistle blew, Sunderland knew they had been made to work hard for the three points.
Manager Mick Mulhern said: "I'd had Bristol watched and reports suggested they were going to be difficult to break down and so it proved.
"That doesn't excuse the fact that we were poor in possession in the first half and not up to the standards we have set recently.
"But the response after the break was just what I'd asked for and it is an important three points."
Sunderland: Laws, Holmes, Bannon, Wilson, Devine, Stokes, Nobbs, McDougall, Williams, Gutteridge, Danby. Subs: Salicki, Halliday, Fraser, Colledge, Atkinson.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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