Saturday 29th September 2018 @ Hollyfields Club, Erdington

Erdington and Saltley 1 – 1 Gloucester

Team: Monia, Millie, Skye, Keeley, Savannah, Octavia, Shay-Leigh, Lacey, Keira, Amne and Jess

Goal: Octavia

Girl of the Match: Millie – A defensive rock who was always in the right place at the right time

At a sun-drenched Hollyfields Club, the girls continued their excellent start to the season, earning a great draw against Gloucester to add to their BPSFA 7-a-side victory a week earlier.

With the squad stretched to its limits following a number of injuries, the girls put aside their fatigue following their morning games to dig deep and earn a very credible draw against a very talented Gloucester side.

The opening third saw The Ton girls register five or six shots on the Gloucester goal, only to see them fly narrowly wide or into the clutches of the excellent Gloucester keeper.

Flying high with confidence, if a little tired, the girls were determined to build on their excellent start during the middle third, only to be pushed back time after time by the resurgent Gloucester girls. Thankfully for The Tonn, Monia was in excellent form, with defenders Millie, Keeley and Skye in equally formidable form! The defensive foursome continuously repelled everything that Gloucester could throw at them, before being cruelly breached by an own goal.

The Gloucester goal visibly knocked the girls and they spent the remainder of the second period on the back foot.

A tactical reshuffle prior to the last twenty minutes saw Keeley and Octavia move into more advanced positions, with the former now patrolling the middle of the park and the latter spearheading the attack. The switch worked instantly, with Octavia rising highest to head home from a Keeley cross a minute into the final third. With the win now behind their sails, the girls pushed on for the victory, throwing everything that they had at Gloucester. However, our southern friends had their own ideas of victory and they too bombed forward in numbers. The gung-ho nature of the game ending meant all in attendance were left captivated and guessing which way the game would go.

As it was, the score remained 1-1 and the girls shared the spoils. A fair result after an enthralling battle.

Well done girls!

Up The Ton!