It didn’t feel like that long ago that the team travelled to Stevenage as we played them towards the end of last season in a very frustrating game that saw the team losing 1-0. The Ladies 1s also lost to the team at home last season where the opposition scored a hat-trick from short corners and the girls didn’t have an answer to respond.
NEW SEASON= NEW RESULT 
A new attitude and confidence from last week’s win meant the team had a positive mind set to the game this time and started the game strong. Stevenage managed to get back in to the game and created a few chances however, Zoe Hall, Lisa Payne and Haylee Adams maintained discipline at the back and it meant the home team didn’t have many chances at the goal. Brentwood created a few opportunities, Beth James linking well with Lauren Blackburn and Bev Simmons upfront but unfortunately, no chances prevailed. Much of the first half remained even but Emily Walker and Anna Guida in the midfield helped to keep the pressure at the other end of the pitch and allowed Francesca Hayden-Sims to remain free in the middle to read the game like a book, which effectively saw the opposition passing straight to her.
Encouraged by the first half and not conceding, the Ladies stepped up a gear and dominated the second half of the game. Shirley Osmotherly- Hull and Lily Wilshere create so much pressure from the front line that Stevenage struggled to get out of their own half. The deadlock finally broke from their third corner of the half. Hayden-Sims’ straight pass just outside the right post was deflected by Wiltshire in to the opposite top left hand corner. The team pressed for another goal with Nat Gilder pushing further up the pitch to help maintain the pressure on the opposition. Blackburn’s chance was saved by the left post and Walker had a chance saved by the keeper on the line. The Ladies pushed to the end and despite winning by a one goal margin, they felt it could have been more and got the three points they deserved.

Quote from keeper, Parsons, after the game “that was some of the best hockey I’ve seen us play in the second half, when we started passing it around players, they couldn’t get near us”. She was happy to be much of a spectator in the second half and another clean sheet for Parsons

Notable fines include a variety from a couple of members of the team that had an eventful night on the Friday and therefore cannot be published!

A very sad moment also occurred on Saturday, the cake box took a hit and is no longer with us, Hall and Walker are to blame and hope they have held their heads in shame all week! Hall also did not share her chocolate at teas, it has been noted and she will be closely monitored this week.

Man of the Match went to Shirley Osmotherly-Hull with a whopping 9 votes, James and Wiltshire also received votes.

Dick of the Day unanimously went to Lauren Blackburn for reasons we cannot disclosed!!!

Adams has officially predicted that there are 4,000 roundabouts in Stevenage vs 6 in Brentwood!