I never know if I am meant to be writing these reports in 1st person or not but having read other people's I'm going to come away from thinking I'm writing for a local newspaper and just try to remember as best I can what actually happened in our game, which is easier said than done when you've spent the 70 minutes melting and just trying to concentrate on breathing, but here goes with the first of this season!

You might be looking at the score line and thinking that this must be wrong as the ladies first team can't score goals!? Well, if today's performance was anything to go by, oh yes we can! It turns out all we needed was the wise words from Barry and Shez of "just score more than they do" - so simple! And yet, in the past we have been so worried about letting goals in and keeping a good defensive record which then led to annoying 1-0 losses etc. that we forgot to focus on the attacking. Hopefully today's performance has given the team the confidence to continue this new mindset forwards and our games will be a lot more exciting to watch.

Before the game we were given very clear instructions by Barry which included penalty corner set pieces. Do these he said, and you'll score. Well, it turns out he wasn't wrong! As the game started we were almost surprised by how quickly we gained possession and pressed up the pitch so it wasn't long before we had our first penalty corner. We knew what we were doing although we had never practiced these before and unfortunately this didn't quite work as I (Toni) forgot that I was meant to hit the ball not just push it, so we didn't score from this one, but the next one we did. Cath was aiming for the back post so that someone running in could get a deflection, the ball went in although it was neither at the back post or from a deflection, but a goals a goal! Now Cath's 2nd goal I can't fully remember but I am sure it came from a lovely pattern of play starting with joint player of the match, Beth (Cath was the other POM) which then led to the ball falling to Cath to slot home. We then conceded but again I can't remember the details but I think it was from a penalty corner?! Who cares really?! They scored again, but again I can't remember the details....
Before half time I got my first goal which I think came from a rebound from another penalty corner and I just happened to be quicker than the defender at getting the ball. Now although the goals are great, it should be mentioned that this first half performance was actually really quite good. Harriet played a blinder up front always being in the right position, Imogen made some great passes and Emma R was vital in her interceptions and tackles on her debut in the 1sts. And although I've picked a few names out, the team together worked so hard and well that at half time no one could actually talk for the first few minutes as we all tried to rehydrate and breathe!
The second half started with Leicester being a bit more dynamic than us, moving the ball well and cutting through our midfield but the defence stood strong and it was soon us that had the ball and scored next. Now I think this was a goal from a penalty corner again but I need to see the video evidence from Grants go pro footage to confirm this, but I scored again! They scored after but we came back with another and this one I do remember. This was definitely another rebound as the ball came out to me unmarked and I slapped it into the near post.
Again, it wasn't just about the goals though as these would not have been scored if we hadn't all worked so well as a team and supported each other in our new tactic to attack.
I will try to do better at remembering key details of the games for future reports but a few other highlights that were mentioned after the game included Beth very gently and politely taking down their centre forward as she went through on goal, Imogen taking a shot from the back line despite being specifically told by Barry not to do this, and the guest appearance of Emma S who continues to scream when she makes a duff pass!
Let's hope that this is a sign of positive things to come for the ladies 1sts - onwards and upwards!