Charlton’s women continued their unbeaten start to the season with an excellent 1-0 victory over Newcastle United at Gateshead international Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Katie Bradley’s second-half penalty was enough to earn all three points in the north east, with the Addicks putting on an impressive defensive display seeing them over the line.
The home side started on the front foot with plenty of crosses into the box from the left-hand side which the Londoners dealt with well. But for all of the Magpies’ early possession, it was Charlton who went closest to opening the scoring first when Lucy Fitzgerald created a big chance for herself.
The forward, making her full league debut for the Addicks, picked the pocket of Aoife Mannion just outside of her own box to get herself one-on-one with Femke Liefting, but the Newcastle stopper pulled off a good save.
A half-chance fell to Charlton shortly after when Liefting spilled a cross into the box, but with Mary McAteer on hand to try and take advantage, she couldn’t turn it in and the hosts were able to clear their lines.
On 25 minutes, Sophie Whitehouse pulled off an impressive stop at the other end when she somehow kept out Mannion’s point-blank header, which had taken a wicked deflection, by tipping it onto the bar and away from danger.
Meanwhile, England International Jordan Nobbs tried her luck with a pair of efforts from distance which cleared the bar and there would be nothing to separate the sides heading into the break.
Into the second half and Charlton enjoyed a good spell early after the restart with Jodie Hutton’s low, teasing free-kick delivery from the right bouncing across the six yard box and narrowly past the post, before Fitzgerald sent a shot inches past the right-hand upright.
Before the hour mark, the Addicks would have their lead and it gave via the penalty spot. A shove on Bradley inside the box gave the referee no choice but to point to the spot and Bradley dusted herself down to do the honours herself.
Indeed, she made no mistake, sticking her spot-kick straight into the bottom left-hand corner to put her side in control.
With half an hour left to play, Karen Hills’ side would have to manage their lead expertly if they were going to come away with maximum points and they did just that.
Other than a looping Demi Stokes volley which bounced off the top of the crossbar, an excellent defensive display kept Newcastle at bay for the remainder of the half with red shirts putting their bodies on the line, while Whitehouse pulled off a smart save in the 10th minute of injury time to deny Emily Murphy one-on-one to ensure that all the points would be heading back to London from the north east for a second consecutive time this season.
Charlton will be hoping for more of the same when they return north for their next challenge as they take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light next Sunday.
Newcastle United: Liefting, Stokes, Nobbs, Gautrat (Hayles 77), Pike (Murphy 67), Gregory, Cooper (Wardlaw 39), McQuade, Mannion, Lumsden (Sevenius 77), Cataldo.
Subs (not used): Moan, Buddy, Grec, Joel, Fox, Murphy.
Booked: Gregory 14 (foul on McAteer), Mannion 16 (foul on McAteer), Liefting 58 (delaying restart), Hayles 90+2 (dissent)
Charlton: Whitehouse, Newsham, N’Dow, Skeels, Pearse, Hutton, Flannery (Ross 89), Bradley, McAteer (Muya 77), Fitzgerald (Bissell 76), Thestrup (Kenney 67).
Subs (not used): Pedersen, Barratt, Siber, Finlayson, Lobato.
Booked: Flannery 19 (foul), Pearse 90+2 (dissent)
Goal: Bradley 58 (pen)