Happy Sunday everyone. Hope everyone’s still buzzing from our 3–2 against Newmarket! Some people, I hope, are resting… and then there’s me — dictating a match report mid–long run, wondering who I’ll bump into as the whole team quietly gears up for marathon season.

Pre-match, Hayley had the floor in the changing room, passionately talking pentagons, triangles, and all the moving parts that make our structure work. Angles of support. Defensive shape. Rotations. And of course, “washing machines” — our slightly chaotic-sounding code word for I’ve got you, I’ll cover. By pushback, we knew exactly what we were trying to build and how we were going to back each other up.

We started sharp, moving the ball quickly, pressing high, and building strong triangles all over the pitch. The intent showed straight away. Passes were crisp, support angles were there, and our defenders stepped confidently into higher attacking positions, allowing us to sustain pressure and control the tempo from the outset.

About fifteen minutes in, it paid off — a brilliant passage of play down the right, carried confidently to the baseline and then pulled back into the middle for a composed finish into the Pims to give us a well-earned opener.

They responded before halftime from a short corner — a quality lifted strike into the right corner. 1–1 at the break (fuelled, importantly, by elite strawberry Haribo at halftime).

The second half felt firmly in our control. Our rotations were sharp, defensive coverage tight, and attacking momentum strong. Emily and Charlotte both struck with precision to extend our lead, and Charlotte, a well-deserving POM, drove relentless pressure in the D, orchestrating the attack that put us up 3–1.

There was a slippery patch that caused problems — I found it first (played the ball from my knees, which I absolutely shouldn’t have), and ten minutes later, an opposition defender hit the exact same patch. Only she didn’t bounce like I did. She stayed down and had to be carried off.  Play resumed, but the opposition supporters were shouting to the players, “this isn’t good.” The player was in a lot of pain.

In the end, they found some grit and determination and capitalised on a breakaway, managing to bring the score to 3–2 in the closing minutes.

A hard-fought win built on high press, smart structure, plenty of “washing machines,” and collective work rate — composed under pressure and clinical when it counted.

Update on the opposition… fracture to the tibia and fibula with surgery scheduled next week. We wish her the best.