Fylde Ladies slipped to a 3-1 defeat away at Stoke City over the weekend.
Coasters captain Danielle Young cancelled out Ashleigh Hayes’ early opener, however further goals from Hannah Keryakoplis and Beth Roberts handed the hosts all three points.
The Lady Potters made the perfect start in the glorious sunshine, when Hayes netted her seventh goal in as many starts with a shot from 25 yards that was too hot for Rachel Darbyshire to handle.
Fylde bounced back well from the early setback with Hollie Kelsh heading wide before striking the crossbar with a vicious effort from distance.
A goal looked to be on the horizon for the visitors and it duly arrived shortly before the half-hour mark. Danielle Young took aim from long range with a strike that arrowed into the top corner despite Tilly Hall’s best attempts in the Stoke goal.
City regrouped and took control of the game from that moment. They should have regained the lead when Darbyshire spilled Keryakoplis effort, but Ella Pemberton fired over from close range.
However, in first half stoppage time Pemberton atoned for her miss. The midfielder drove forward and exchanged passes with Hayes before feeding Keryakoplis who beat her marker and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.
It was one-way traffic after the break, although the home side were struggling to create much that tested keeper Darbyshire.
A subdued second-half sprung to life in the final 10 minutes. Seventeen-year-old Beth Roberts had been on the pitch for less than 60 seconds when she met Faye McCoy’s delivery with a thumping header to seal the points and net her maiden goal for the first team.
Following the match, Fylde manager Conrad Prendergast said: “We were okay in the first half. It took us a while to get going, but we started to take control of the game midway through the half and got the equaliser.
“However, we were poor after the break and didn’t deserve anything from the game.
“A lack of consistency over recent weeks has cost us on more than one occasion. If we want to be challenging at the top of the table next season then we will have to back up victories. At the moment we are ‘win one, lose one’.”
Prendergast’s side remain in sixth place in the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division with three matches left to play.
Next up, the Ladies travel to Guiseley Vixens on Sunday 13th May.