Exeter City Women extended their lead at the top of the division with a comfortable victory over Abingdon United, a crucial three points for the Grecians as their title rivals AFC Bournemouth dropped points to Keynsham Town at the Vitality Stadium.
Mollie Taylor’s cross found an unmarked Phoebe Baker in the opening minutes, the midfielder steering her header into the welcome hands of United Goalkeeper Hannah Cox. Taylor again provided the cross moments later, this delivery just evading the onrushing Sarah Stacey and Jenna Markham.
With the visitors banked in, City were needing to remain patient, Manfy Sharpe providing a defence splitting pass to find the run of Amber Pollock, the wide player forcing a near post stop from Cox as the Grecians began to up the tempo.
Georgie-Marie Barbour-Gresham came close to a first goal since rejoining City, her header from a Zoe Cunningham corner was deflected off the line from a combination of Cox and her covering defenders. Cunningham’s clipped pass found Stacey in the penalty area, the forward forcing another fine save from Cox as she worked the shooting opportunity, Zoe Watkins then firing the loose ball into the side netting.
Barbour-Gresham waltzed past tackles to create another opportunity for Baker, but her effort was sliced wide from the edge of the penalty area. For the increase in pressure, the opening goal looked a certainty for City and it would be Pollock who seized the next chance. Barbour-Gresham's pinpoint ball from the heart of defence found Taylor, her cross was deflected into the path of Pollock who smashed past Cox from the edge of the penalty area for a deserved lead.
Cunningham had already had a couple of chances to test Cox and, after winning a free kick on the edge of the penalty area, took her moment to double the Grecians lead by firing past the wall and into the bottom corner of the net for a 2-0 lead at the break.
Taylor intercepted an under-hit goal kick shortly after the interval, her driving run and shot just wide of the target. Stacey’s latest effort fell kindly to Markham from the defensive challenge, Sahara Osborne-Ricketts making the block on the line in what was a highly accomplished performance from the United defender.
Barbour-Gresham's threat from set pieces again led to a chance, her header bouncing off the crossbar as City continued to dominate but struggled to break the resilience of the United backline, corners and free kicks always looking the most likely source of more Grecian goals.
Zoe Watkins forced a fine save from Cox as City searched for a third goal and, with time running out, they found it. Baker was fouled in the penalty area to give Connie Pengelly an opportunity to add to her season’s tally. The forward fired into the bottom corner from the spot to hit her tenth league goal of the season, those goals all coming in her last nine league games.
A third successive league clean sheet for Abbi Bond and the City defence and a 25th consecutive home league win dating all the way back to 2022. The Grecians now have three away games to come, if they return to Devon with all nine points on offer in those fixtures then they will have the chance to win promotion at the Sports Hub in the final two games of the season.
