Southend and Benfleet 1’s knew it would be a tough game against unbeaten Southend, who came to KES with a lot of confidence and a huge goal difference to their name. Early on, they proved how they had scored so many goals, with some well worked short corners and passing play meaning they had a 4-goal lead at half time.

As they say, it is a game of 2 halves and S&B refused to give up. Player of the Match, Hattie Bowden, stepped up into central midfield and put in a commanding performance, making space for brilliant passing play and running tirelessly up and down the pitch – an absolute machine! S&B started playing their own game, passing well and using the ball, and won some short corners, but these were all saved expertly by the Southend defence. 2 more goals for Southend in the second half took the final score to 6-0. Lots to learn from a tough game against a skillful, well-drilled team (made harder by the rain!), and we look forward to bringing the second half performance to Romford next week.
Player of the Match: Hattie Bowden