The first league game of the season, in a new league against opposition we didn't really know anything about - we had to just play our game. And we did for the majority - we had more possession, more opportunities at goal and were generally the better team, but we lost...

Spalding actually took the lead in a counter attack move that led to a penalty corner which they then converted, but this didn't dampen our spirits at all with our new mindset of "score more than they do" and we continued to attack. I had a special mention in the 'champagne moments' voting (thanks Amy!) for a run that almost saw me slot the ball past the keeper, but this was a feature of the game as a whole; almosts! Some excellent pressing led by Cath, with Gracie and player of match Georgia B working tirelessly down the right saw us pin Spalding in their half with attack after attack. We were eventually given a penalty corner but with new players in and a lack of communication we just couldn't make the routine work, however it wasn't long before we did get the goal we fully deserved as Georgia showed a great level of skill and composure to beat the defenders, win the ball back and then strike the ball into the goal. We went into half time 1-1 all feeling extremely hot but positive that we could get a result from this game.

As the tag line suggests, we lost our focus and shape for 5 minutes which was at the start of the 2nd half. Spalding had changed their players around and came at us with pace which seemed to lead to confusion and a lack of focus. A soft penalty corner goal was conceded as the ball rolled into the right post corner, and then was swiftly followed by another as a player went through almost unchallenged to be 1 on 1 with Amy. Being 3-1 down was not the score line we wanted and we soon rediscovered our motivation and concentration and started to push again. For the remainder of the half we pretty much penned Spalding in their half with continued attack after attack. Evie, Emma R and Gracie pushed up from defense which then meant Cath, Emma F and Toni could push higher, and with the pace of Georgia, Georgie and newcomer Isla and the strength of Harriet on the ball, we created chance after chance. A second goal came after a bit of a scramble which saw Emma F get a 'champagne moment' nomination too due to her diving to keep the ball on pitch, sacrificing the skin on her knuckles, but well rewarded as Georgie was able to connect with the ball to beat the keeper. Balls kept whizzing past the posts with near-miss after near-miss and with another penalty corner routine going awry, time on the clock soon ticked away.

We really want to change the narrative of previous seasons where we "lose but didn't deserve to" and yet we find ourselves in this situation again. The feelings of disappointment and flatness at the end of the game are normal and show us that we need to work on maximising on the opportunities we are given, but it is only the first game of the season so we certainly shouldn't be discouraged as we look to take on St Ives away next weekend.