Southend and Benfleet 1’s knew they needed points from this game, and having narrowly beaten Romford 2-1 away, they were desperate to claim all 3 points on home soil. We started slow and shaky, with some nerves showing and mistakes being made. Romford capitalised on this shaky start, winning many short corners in a row, one of which saved expertly on the post by Charley Edwards, but eventually one was converted, bringing the score at half time to 1-0.

S&B came out and started the second half with a more positive, attacking mindset, and within 10 minutes of the restart, they drew level with a short corner goal from player of the match, Lily Cole. Some good defensive work from Charley Edwards, Leanne Neicho and Nina Dabbs kept Romford’s speedy forwards at bay, while some strong attacking moves from the midfield and forward line made it seem another goal for S&B was imminent. However, it was Romford who took the lead, taking the score to 2-1. S&B came back fighting again, with a quick equaliser from Lily Cole. With the score at 2-2, and both teams desperate for points, it was S&B who had the lion’s share of attacking chances in the rest of the second half, however, some brilliant saves from the Romford keeper meant the points were shared.
Player of the Match: Lily Cole