Exeter City Ladies 2
Newquay Ladies 1

South West Combination Premier

Sunday 8th December

A depleted Exeter City Ladies side were made to work hard for a 2-1 win against visiting Newquay, who themselves had hit a good run of form in recent weeks.

It was the Grecians that began on top, pressing on every Newquay touch, and soon earned their first goal for their efforts. Hounding away upfield, Exeter won a preventable corner - Tash Knapman's in-swinger and dummy-runs from her teammates flummoxed the goalkeeper, and dropped into the net.

A threadbare City squad suffered a further blow on 20 minutes as Meg Taylor was withdrawn through injury, meaning a reshuffle in positions which stemmed some of their fluidity somewhat. City still carved out good openings before the break, the best of which coming as Lola Garcia Sanchez was released down the flank by Josie Copp to square for Knapman, who failed to convert. 

Newquay, reinvigorated after the interval, caught Exeter on the counter-attack to earn their way back into the game. Winning a free-kick from City's retreating defenders, the ball was stumbled in after only having half been cleared, despite Copp's desperate attempt to hack it off the line.

But Copp had the last say - after good work down the left by sub Sophie-Lou Simpson, a centred ball was diverted into the path of the midfielder, who hammered a volley into the top corner, sending Exeter Ladies into the Christmas break on a high.