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Sunday 24 September 2006 FA Nationwide Women's Premier League, Southern Division
A battling display by the Dons secured a deserved victory over lacklustre Southampton Saints at Winchester City.
The Dons made the perfect start with a goal inside 70 seconds, a Laura Smith through ball allowing Abby Shorter to drill the ball past Poulton. Southampton equalised in the 7th minute with a clever looping header from a free kick, then after Carly Hunt had crossed for Smith to have a header deflected behind, the Dons went back in front in the 13th minute with the best move of the game, Andy McGrady's perfectly-weighted through ball finding Julie Bygrave for a low cross flicked past Poulton by Smith at the near post. Lauren Nuttall then did brilliantly to divert a White shot round the post, then Bygrave and Smith combined to set up Shorter for a shot blocked.
In the second half Bygrave found Smith down the right for a cross controlled by Shorter but stabbed over the bar from 8 yards, then Lou Cooper parried a Bell shot and Jenny Castledine did well to turn the loose ball behind. Bygrave was then thwarted by the Saints defence only for Beth Sims to run onto the loose ball and fire home, only for the goal to be mysteriously disallowed for offside. Cooper then pushed a Boucher long shot up in the air but grabbed the ball at the second attempt. In the closing 20 minutes Southampton ran out of steam as the Dons won nearly every loose ball, and the visitors ought to have extended their advantage twice in injury time, firstly when Kirsty Percival ran clean through only to be denied by a great save, then when Bygrave set up Sims for a shot that whistled over the bar.
