Halifax travelled to Nottingham last weekend where the Eagles played a strong Nottingham side, falling to a 3-0 defeat.

Nottingham were on top in the first parts of the game, as the Halifax defence faced multiple dangerous chances, which were defended brilliantly by a solid back four. Halifax had a few chances, mostly on the counter attack, each time looking dangerous but nothing would come from them. Some quality play between Ellie White and Lucy Sowerby looked promising, but was repelled by the Nottingham defenders.

Two dangerous attacks forced the hand of the superb Becky Flaherty in the Halifax goal, a shot from a Nottingham attacker seemed to be flying into the top right hand corner, but Flaherty rose high and managed to tip the ball away from goal for a corner. Even the Nottingham support had nothing but praise, a couple of standing ovations could be seen in the stands.

A cross from Boydell found the run of Drew Greene who shot just wide of the post, Halifax were looking very dangerous on the counter.

More Nottingham pressure saw more defensive brilliance, specifically from club Captain, Shauna Legge, who put her body on the line to prevent a huge Nottingham chance. The pressure from Nottingham continued to amount, however, but the referee blew for half time. 

The first half saw Nottingham with more of the possession, but Halifax were certainly looking dangerous, especially on the counter-attack. At this point, the game could have gone either way. 

Half Time: Nottingham Forest 0 – 0 Halifax FC Women

The second half started in a lightning fast manner, Lucy Sowerby earned herself a chance after relentlessly pressing a defensive error, but was unable to get the shot away. Halifax came out with energy  and the desire to press the Nottingham players. 

Darcie Greene made a very important block and Issy Dean was called upon to keep her team in the game with cunning blocks and tackles. Only minutes later, Sowerby had a chance on the counter-attack, but her attempt was saved by the Nottingham keeper. 

In the 70th minute, Nottingham scored to make it 1-0, an important goal in the context of the game. Domingo’s low cross found Worsey who slotted the ball out of Flaherty’s reach. 

Forest doubled their lead through Manders who fired a shot into the net with a left footed shot from close range. 2-0 after 79 minutes. 

Forest scored again on the cusp of full-time through Worsey, a left footed volley from a cross from close range sealed the three points for Nottingham. 

Full time: Nottingham Forest 3 – 0 Halifax FC Women.

Manager Rob Mitchell spoke about the game after full time: 

“I’m proud of the team, we’ve had to put our bodies on the line.”

“They fought for the badge, they’ve worked hard, they’ve put a shift in.”

What’s next for Halifax?

Halifax will play Derby County this weekend, venue still to be decided. 

Follow @halifaxfcwomen on X for updates on venues and times.