*Goal for L5’s new forward: Vicki G! *

It’s been a few weeks running that we’ve felt like the better side but come away with nothing.  Looking to change that we got organised: stretching, weaving, finding the working toilets (City’s little joke about the showers went down well) and with our shorts planned and tops off we checked names, establishing that we could tell our Nicolas from our Nicoles even if Nicola wasn’t quite sure herself.  So, lemon sorted early, we pushed back first and piled on pressure with the ball mainly stuck in City’s half for the first 15 minutes.  We won three short corners and had some ‘nearly’ moments - Vicki practically getting a nose bleed she was so high up the pitch this week - but we couldn’t quite find that goal.

Unfortunately, around 30 minutes in City had a rare break and managed to overload South, slipping the ball across the line.  Frustrating.  Going into half time we reflected on the need for super-discipline in defence, scanning before we tackle, stepping to the ball, keeping our width, and not ‘over thinking’ our shooting.  

Tilly made some great shouts and moves in the second half and we drew on recent training drills (thanks George :) ) to play some fab team-hockey: channelling, bouncing passes, taking 16s early, and working it round the back - even if one of Bec’s switches was derailed by an errant flint on the pitch (kid’s treasure stone? Iron age tool?).   

Fi and Amelie cheered us through a few phases of pressure, including a couple of clear strikes on goal which Katy faced down commandingly, but then Bec set back up early, and we worked the ball to player-of-the-match Vicki, who scored her first goal playing as a forward.  Brilliant! 

The game finished 1-1, with neither the better side :)