Southend and Benfleet 1’s were pumped and ready for their game against Chelmsford 3’s, knowing it was a closely fought game last time. With some key players out this week, we were lucky enough to have Nicola Ellis, Kerry Amos, Naomi Barker and Chloe Brady coming up from the 2’s, bringing some incredible skill and determination with them. The game started well, with a lot of attacking play; Caitlin Meredith and Amos running the ball down the wings and slipping it into the D. We were rewarded after 20 minutes with a short corner, which was well struck by Barker and expertly deflected into the goal by Amos. 1-0 at half time and S&B knew they were in control of the game.

As expected, Chelmsford came out fighting in the second half, equally desperate for much needed points. Some speedy forwards for Chelmsford brought strong attacks, however these were seen off by defenders Kendall Coleman, Leanne Neicho, Charley Edwards and Nicola Ellis. When the attackers did break through, player of the match and superstar goalkeeper Carmel Kenny was solid, coming off her line more than once to break down the attack and stopping a 1 on 1 attack on the goal. Defensive short corners were seen off perfectly by number 1 runner Hattie Bowden, meaning that Chelmsford had little chance to equalise. A new short corner routine fooled the Chelmsford defence and the ball ended up in the net, however it was disallowed for the first strike being above the backboard. With Nic Bryant stopping every single ball Chelmsford tried to put through from the back (I am sure her stick is longer than most!), the match ended 1-0 to S&B: 3 points and a clean sheet. An ideal Saturday morning!
Player of the Match: Carmel Kenny