As we arrived at Long Road, it was a chilly morning causing plenty of debate regarding the number of layers that would be needed, nonetheless, Naomi managed to make sure she had her sunglasses on.

A slow first half for South allowed Kettering to take a 2-0 lead despite tremendous work by the defensive backline.

After a much-needed halftime inspirational team talk and words of wisdom from Ginny, South came back striving in the second half. South began moving as a team with lovely passing and drives throughout the defense and midfield which made for great opportunities for the forward line. A marvelous ball from Bethan in the midfield was excellently finished by Emily S bringing South back into the game. Within minutes this was followed by a second goal by Emily B for South. Soon after an unfortunate disallowed goal by Erin we were rewarded a deserving penalty counteracting the referee’s earlier decision. A cool calm collected Amelia brought South back into the lead with a smashing goal into the bottom left corner.

Throughout the entire game there was superb work along the defensive line, with Rosie fighting off the opposition on her knees and Rhian having tremendous tackles and runs. A late flourish from the opposition resulted in numerous short corners, one of which unfortunately led to a Kettering equaliser. The intensity of the game lasted until that final whistle where we finished with a draw. Special shoutout to Amelia for her “fearless flick” rewarding her as POM and Ellie for her relentless desire to keep the ball in at all costs resulting in LOM.