Our first win of the season — and what a performance from the whole team. We started strongly, moving the ball well and linking up beautifully across the pitch.

Unfortunately our momentum took a knock early early on when Aoife fearlessly went in for a tackle in the D, only for the ball to be lifted into her face. A lot of blood and a few wobbly teeth; Aoife is made of strong stuff but sadly a trip to A&E was unavoidable. We missed her presence at the back, but her determination definitely spurred us on to fight even harder for the result.

The fighting spirit quickly paid off. A sharp call from Fizz set up a brilliant flick from Anna to open the scoring, followed soon after by a fantastic solo goal from Zola, who drove from the halfway line and finished confidently.

The midfield — Fizz, Anneka, Alice, Rosie and Zola — worked tirelessly, covering every blade of grass and keeping us on the front foot. At the back, Emily, Chloe, Olivia and, of course, Aoife before her injury, were rock solid and made some crucial interventions to keep us in control.

Chichester found their way onto the scoresheet with two well-taken deflections from short corners and a penalty flick that Georgie could do little about — but she was outstanding all game, pulling off several excellent saves to keep us ahead.

In the second half, Anna added two more well-taken goals, and Zola scored again from a perfectly executed short corner routine. Up front, Daisy, Anna, Eva and Alex combined well, creating space and opportunities throughout.

Player of the match votes went to Zola, Alice, Chloe Alice and Olivia for their excellent performances, but it was our hat-trick hero Anna who takes this week’s Player of the Match award.

It was a real team effort — composed, hard-working and determined from start to finish. A well-deserved win and a great boost for the season ahead. Wishing Aoife a speedy recovery — we can’t wait to have you back out there soon. ?