Oxford United midfielder Kayleigh Hines struck twice to secure a 2-2 draw with promotion favourites Reading, and spoke exclusively to Read WSL about the tantalising fixture, and the season ahead for the U’s.
Reading headed into the tie on the back of their first defeat of the season, and looked to continue their lacklustre form with the visitors taking a surprising lead. Despite having suffered three consecutive defeats, Oxford put their recent woes behind them courtesy of Hines.
With Holly Pickett cleverly lobbing the Royals number one Grace Moloney – who was pulled off her line from a corner – Hines pounced on the opportunity to tap home while Moloney attempted to scramble through her defence.
The ever-present Emma Follis looked to claw back an immediate equaliser, and came close with her headed effort but could only find the clutches of Oxford keeper Demi Lambourne – who suffered a number of minor mishaps and spills throughout the game.
However, Lauren Bruton was able to hand her side a lifeline, as United captain Sahara Osborne-Ricketts hastily pushed the midfielder to ground on the box, and referee Samuel Ogles pointed briskly to the spot. Rising to her feet, Bruton stepped up to take the penalty and converted with ease in to the bottom right corner.
The hosts seemed to regain their edge following the equalising goal, and sitting six places above Oxford, proved their worth as Bruton looked to extend her side’s lead. Ruled out only by the offside flag, the 22-year-old was unfortunate to not be allowed the opportunity to break one-on-one with Lambourne, before seeing a second penalty appeal turned down inside 15 minutes.
With Fran Kirby an evident danger – having scored 11 in her first four fixtures of the season – it took 36 minutes for the England international to have her first opportunity on goal. Beating the defensive line and faced with Lambourne, Kirby surprisingly knocked her effort woefully wide.
Little could separate the two sides within the opening exchanges of the second half, and it took 20 minutes for any action to put the goalkeepers under pressure. Reading’s Bonnie Horwood created the first dangerous manoeuvre of the half, and after racing past a number of defenders, took a touch too far to allow Lambourne to make a controversial save. But among mixed claims of another penalty and simulation, only a goal kick was awarded.
Hines re-emerged in the game with the clock ticking down, and handed Oxford the lead once again, her sensational strike leaving goalkeeper Grace Moloney bewildered.
Collecting a rebound from a defensive clearance, the former Reading employee made a dangerous opportunity out of nothing, and wheeled away in celebration as the three points looked secured.
Nevertheless, Bruton was determined to take at least a point for her side, and hit back instantly once again. Less than a minute after being left shell-shocked by Hines’ wonder strike, the Royals goalscorer got her second of the game, finishing an identical opportunity from outside the box and sending the home supporters in to jubilation.
While in search of that vital winning goal, both teams took to attacking regularly in fast-paced, end to end football. A double spill from Moloney put the Royals under pressure in the closing stages, but Kirby looked to have made a late dash for three points after her free-kick dipped perfectly over the wall, only to clatter off the crossbar.
However, in the end, neither side could find the final strike to sink their opponents, and shared the honours as the Royals returned to reign at the top of the table.
Hines’ brace saw her move in to Oxford’s leading goalscorer position but following the game the 24-year-old spoke exclusively to Read WSL and suggested it was a team effort that secured her side’s first point in four league games.
“I can’t fault the eleven who were on the pitch, as well as the subs who came on,” she said. “They all put in a tremendous work rate and I’m really proud of every single one of them.
“It was tough. It was definitely a battle, and it probably wasn’t the prettiest game of football to watch. But for myself, and I speak on behalf of the rest of the girls, it was really important that we battled, and ultimately we’ve taken something from that game. And because of that I’m happy.”
She added: “Taking this result and getting back on the training ground will be our main focus now, and it should help everyone in the team.
“On reflection of the results – take away Aston Villa where the performance wasn’t there, and we just weren’t good enough – we performed well in previous fixtures, and always worked hard. Unfortunately, it was down to silly errors that lost us the game, and we simply needed to improve. Hopefully we showed that tonight against Reading.”
