Thatcham were then able to put the Newbury defence under some pressure, but first Saide Gulliver and then Amy Lambden, followed by Claire Turley, showed all their experience to dispel the threats. Newbury remained in the contest at one nil and they were able to steady the ship. That is until the 34th minute, when Thatcham broke clear and their forward dispatched a clinical finish for two nil.

Not ready to be down trodden, Newbury hit straight back from the re-start, with a Gilmour shot striking the post at the other end. This signalled a ten minute period when Newbury were on top and their good play was rewarded on the stroke of half time. Again, Gilmour was instrumental, finding a sumptuous through pass for Walker. Her first shot was saved, but she latched onto the rebound the quickest and then made no mistake at the second attempt. 2-1 to Thatcham Flames at the break.

Unfortunately, Newbury were hampered in the second half, when they were forced to re-take to the field with only ten players. They would be up against it, finding themselves still a goal behind and now also a player down too. But Newbury’s spirit was there for all to see, and they were still able to string together some impressive passing moves in the opening stages, but they were struggling to really threaten in Thatcham’s final third. Newbury were rocked in the 62nd minute however, when Thatcham scored a third to claim a three one lead. And they went further ahead six minutes later, scoring again, to really put the game beyond Newbury’s reach.

Sadly, there would be no glorious comeback for Newbury and the match ended in a 4-1 win for Thatcham Flames. Whilst it had been a disappointing result, the fighting spirit of Newbury was to be applauded and this will undoubtedly stand them in good stead for the matches to come in early 2019.

Match report by Sue Hewett