This should have been a very even game between Lichfield and Kettering and with Kettering getting better and better each week this should have been the game they proved themselves. Instead we dropped to a level we played at before the season started.
We started quite well and scored first. Some good interchanges between the mids and forwards allowed Laura Beacon to win a free hit on the far side of the D. Moving the ball quickly, a clean hit into the D avoided a few players from each side in front of the keeper to find Emma Findlay at the back post to reverse sweep it into the goal.
We had a few more chances via a couple of short corners and balls coming across the D, one of these fell just too far away from Beacon's stick on the back post.
As the half continued though, Kettering were playing more and more on the back foot. This resulted in Lichfield levelling the score line before the end of the 1st half.
Unfortunately Kettering didn't start the 2nd half well and as the game continued our team possession and ball turnover became worse and worse. We stopped pressing the ball in defence and midfield and allowed Lichfield to break through and have some free shots on goal. Before we knew it we were 3-1 down.
There were glimpses of some good play, especially from player of the match Harriet Goswell who produced some hard fought break throughs through the middle of the pitch and we did manage to win some possession in the oppositions D. One of these passages of play found Findlay, who reverse sweeped it across the D to Charlie Fowle who placed the ball expertly in the bottom right corner of the goal.
We hoped this might be the action that spurred us into playing better, but instead we allowed Lichfield again to move the ball from side to side and break into our D to score their 4th goal.
Not a great day for Kettering and we are going to hope we produce a better performance next week, away at Shrewsbury.