Blackheath finally gets a win!

It was an unseasonably warm October day when this victory-hungry Blackheath side took to the turf against a strong Sevenoaks team. After some early breaks from the away team, Blackheath won a short corner against the run of play. A slick, straightforward move was converted with a straight strike from Sarah and the home team took an early lead.

Blackheath played with fire in the belly, fighting hard for every ball and having the majority of the possession as a result. It was a real team effort and all eleven players linked up well to put concerted pressure on the oppositions goal. Any breaks from Sevenoaks were quickly and comfortably quashed by Kate, Megan and Waddy at the back, who then gave Emma and Beth opportunities to drive forward. We went into the half time talk confident and committed to securing the win.

Realising that we had space to play with on the right, the second half saw numerous breaks by Lydia and several opportunities to double the deficit which went begging thanks to an organised and solid Sevenoaks back line. Eventually, Beth had the room to manoeuvre up the left that has been in short supply all match, and she wasn't taking any prisoners! An excellent, weaving solo run saw her outwit various attempted tackles and the whole team jumped for joy when her efforts were rewarded with a well-earned goal on the scoresheet. The game was not without incident; sadly with eight minutes left to play Megan clashed heads with Sevenoaks' right wing player. Both were retired to the bench for the rest of the game and seemed to be ok afterwards, but it was a stark reminder that this is a physical game that is not without risks. The pause in proceedings (and concern for their teammate) seemed to give the away side a renewed sense of purpose, putting Blackheath under pressure several times as the clock wound down. They secured a couple of short corners, and with mere seconds on the clock, managed to find the backboard with a cleanly-hit, well-targeted strike. Final score 2-1 to an elated Blackheath side, happy to get the first win of the season under their belt and grateful to the whole team and the support crew for their efforts. Man of the Match jointly awarded to Beth and Kate, while Megan for DOTD for being a bit over eager in her tackles.... Great result, ladies. Bring on next week!

Match report by Sarah