Determined defending helped UCLan Football Ladies 1sts secure a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Hallam 1sts despite missing four first team players.

Cat Gibbs and Chrissi Workman formed a strong partnership at the back giving little away and cutting short plenty of Hallam attacks. Coach Mike O’Neil praised Gibbs contribution: “She is my player of the match.

“She reads the game, she wins the headers and she wins the battles.”

UCLan’s first chance of the game came when miscommunication in the Hallam defence allowed Becky Hale to break through but the goalkeeper was quick off her line and did well to smother the ball before the striker could take a shot.

Soon after a Katie Cattell corner led to a strike by Amy Foxcroft which was blocked by a Sheffield defender’s hand resulting in UCLan shouts for a penalty. The referee waved away the appeals later explaining that the shot was from close range and the defender was protecting herself.

O’Neil asked for more communication from his team but half an hour in defensive uncertainty allowed Hallam clean through on goal but an awful shot wide spared UCLan’s blushes.

The home team then rallied, Helen McManus showed good composure to loft an excellent through ball to Hale who won a corner. Cattell played the corner short to the unmarked Abbie Benson whose far post effort was cleared off the line before falling at the edge of the area to McManus who shot over the bar.

Early in the second half Hallam hit the post after stand in keeper Sarah Waddington failed to catch a deep in swinging free kick.

The steely UCLan rearguard finally cracked on 73 minutes when a shot from close range into the bottom corner gave Waddington no chance.

Not wanting to concede a second home defeat of the season O’Neil decided to commit more players into the attack telling substitute Heather Mckendrick to stay up front. The impact was instant, Benson passed to Cattell who powered into the Hallam area and cut the ball back for Mckendrick to slot home the equaliser with 10 minutes remaining.

UCLan then had to hang on as Sheffield Hallam had several chances in the dying minutes, Faye Lang clearing well from a corner.

They saw the match out for their first home point of the season.