The sun was shining once again on the glorious south coast, and the 3s were rising early for another 10am start this week. The carless co-captains were kindly collected by super-star Naomi with loads of time to spare, but unfortunately, half way down the A27, I realised no masks were actually in the car. So we had a nice little tour of Hove to start the day off, arriving slightly later than planned to pitch side. I should have known Gabi and I couldn't be trusted to look after the belongings! Luckily our honorary coach, Tommo, was there to whip the troops into shape and get us prepared for an important game in this late stage of the season! The sun was beating down on, so the good news for us was that we had 3 wonderful subs, including one for each area of the pitch! It was great to have some familiar faces back this week, with Lizzie back after missing last weeks game, and Ava and Pippa returning after a few weeks out! We also had the lovely Charlotte cheering us on from the sidelines this week after she had her wrist fractured in a game last weekend (not ours). We hope you have a speedy recovery!!!

Overall the team was looking very strong, however the game did start a little shaky. It seemed we had forgotten the hard work we put in last week to create calm play, and we played some rather sloppy hockey for the first 15 minutes. South Downs also deserve some credit as they did put pressure on us from the starting whistle, however we soon got it together and found our footing. It was another outstanding defensive performance from the team this week, with Freya, Lou, Gubs, and Emily (and myself) working super hard throughout the first half, and whole game, to keep our clean sheet. The team work between Emily and Gubs as our centre backs created a solid wall that the South Down's forwards couldn't penetrate through. Lou was also constantly working to keep them out, diving in for some splendid tackles time after time, in and outside the D - it's great to have you back up to full strength after your injury, Lou! A common theme in my match reports is the mention of how Freya seems to keep us in the games most weeks, and this game was no different! A stunner of a performance yet again by Freya, making some fabulous saves. After a short stint in this game at left back, Lizzie was quickly returned to her usual position of centre mid which was welcomed by all. After the game she told me that she was dying from the heat, but you wouldn't have known it from the level of energy she presented on the pitch! Some lovely balls were being delivered from the centre by her and Goldie so that Jess and Naomi could drive down the wing to the opposition's D. It was a dominant performance from Naomi and Jess this week in midfield! This half we managed to get some attacking short corners won, notably created by Goldie with her skillful runs in-between players. For one particular short, the ball was fired out by Goldie to Gabi at top striker position. Gabi then did an artful dart right and finished it off with a strong strike towards the bottom right corner of the goal where Jess was strategically placed to whack it into the back board! A stunner of a finish, and a rare short corner goal for the 3s!

It was safe to say everyone was absolutely baking at half time (especially Freya in all that padding), and it certainly was a much needed break after a tense first half. We knew South Downs would come out hard in the second half as their position above us in the league table was now at risk. Hopefully it's not becoming a theme in our games, but like last week, this second half was another quiet one. We continued to have some good opportunities in the half, but ultimately struggled to convert them. Ruby and Pippa used their speedy runs to gain ground up the pitch, and Rhi was always patiently waiting in the D to do her quintessential slap-hit finish, but unfortunately we couldn't find the back of the goal. With the warm weather and tired legs, we were beginning to lose momentum, and this meant South Downs were able to gain some attacking short corners in quick succession. The super defenders did a brilliant job this week though at effectively blocking their chances and we managed to get into a good routine with them, stopping each one in their tracks. The game was to end 1-0 and even with the low score line, we came away feeling pretty chuffed with another massive win under our belts! We now sit 6th in the table, but with 1 game in hand - it's going to be an interesting last 4 games!!

I am absolutely thrilled to say that this week our players player was shared by two of our players, and not just any random two, but both of the Williams! Congratulations to the mother and daughter duo, Lou and Jess!! It was thoroughly deserved as you both put in a brilliant performance - the perfect blend of defense and attack!