Guiseley Lionesses Development Squad saw off Hyde Park Blues 9-0 at Guiseley School on Sunday, writes Olivia Bastian.
The tone was set early, with Ellie Collinson and Sarah Woods both testing the target from distance inside the opening minutes. Seven minutes in the breakthrough came: Amber Craddock slid a perfectly weighted pass through the defence, and Millie Harrison coolly finished to give Devs the lead.
Hyde Park Blues were put under constant pressure and in the 15th minute, that pressure paid off again. Olivia Adkins won the ball after pressuring the defender high up the pitch and scored a low shot into the bottom corner for 2–0. Devs then rang the changes, bringing on Miyuki Sato and Annabel Rhodes, who quickly made an impact. 25 minutes in, Abby played a pinpoint ball forward from deep, and Annabel slotted home into the right corner to make it three.
Chances continued to flow: Craddock, Harrison, and Smart all went close, with Evie Smart striking the crossbar from a clever lob attempt. Just before the interval, Millie Harrison added her second, driving through the centre before finishing low past the keeper on the 40th minute. The first half closed with the Devs dominant, though the opposition keeper made several fine saves to keep the scoreline respectable.
Half-time score: Devs 4–0 Hyde Park Blues
Within six minutes of the second half starting, Millie Harrison produced a superb strike into the top right corner for her hat-trick. Shortly after, Miyuki Sato marked her arrival with a spectacular 25-yard strike to make it 6–0.
Devs showed no sign of slowing down. Craddock turned provider again on the hour mark, slipping Ellie Collinson through to slot home. The substitutions kept the energy levels high, with Chicolle Dean rattling the bar and Annabel Rhodes testing the keeper. On the 74th minute, Sato dribbled through the defence before finishing coolly for her second of the afternoon.
The scoring wasn’t done, 78 minutes in Collinson broke from midfield, beating the last defender before calmly placing the ball into the bottom corner. Hyde Park Blues managed only a couple of efforts late on, comfortably dealt with by the Devs’ defence and keeper.
