We travelled to Sholing, who were in a good run of form, with their recent losses being very narrow. While overall results have been disappointing, they haven't always reflected the quality of our play.

The ladies delivered a very good performance on Sunday and deserved more for their efforts in what was, I believe, an entertaining game for any neutral spectator. We defended superbly in the early stages, with the players putting their bodies on the line to prevent Sholing from creating clear-cut chances. We largely restricted the hosts to long-range efforts, which either went wide or were dealt with effectively by Campbell in goal.

|Credit: McGuffin Media| Selvester was a rock in midfield, often winning the ball and looking to push the Seals forward.

We eventually broke the deadlock around the 40th minute. Childs collected a loose ball from the Sholing defence and drove forward from the wing. With little pressure from the hosts, Childs unleashed a brilliant long-range shot that flew over the Sholing keeper. Immediately afterwards, Campbell produced a masterclass, pulling off an excellent triple save, followed by a great clearance off the line by Guymer. With players throwing themselves in front of every shot, it epitomised the team's performance so far.

The second half followed a similar pattern. We made some excellent decisions in possession, knowing when to play short and when to go long, and the team did an excellent job of keeping the hosts at bay. G. Morris went close when the ball bounced in her path, but her shot hit the bar. Davey also went close with a venomous volley that went narrowly wide.

|Credit: McGuffin Media| G. Morris went close in the second half to extending our lead.

Unfortunately, we were made to rue those missed chances. In the 96th minute, the ball went under Campbell, who had been outstanding all game, and was tapped in by a Sholing forward. Shortly afterwards, and rather controversially, the hosts scored the winning goal. A contentious foul throw was taken, and Sholing worked the ball into space to drive it into the bottom left corner.

We have been unlucky and are naturally frustrated and deflated after working so hard to get nothing from the game. The ladies must stick together and keep their heads held high. Their performance showed grit and real camaraderie. Every player worked for each other, and if we had secured at least a point, it would have been a fair reflection of the game, given the chances the hosts created.

We return to league action next week with a trip to Woodley United. Kick-off is at 2 pm.