A sweet second victory for the ladies 1's

Hertford ladies 1's took a team of 12 to Walthamstow still full of positive from the previous weeks victory. Despite arriving late due to heavy traffic and Waltham Forest winning the first push back, Hertford won possession almost from the off and hit the opposition with a wave of attacks using pace from forwards Jen Heath and Helen Owen making great use of the width. Despite a number of short corners Hertford were unable to convert initially and their first goal came from play within the D which midfielder Clare Hawes managed to push just over the line after a save from the keeper. When the whistle didn't go for a goal Heath stepped in and smacked the ball against the backboard as a gentle reminder to the umpire that Hertford had taken the lead.
Waltham Forest came back strong after that and scored with a strong strike not long afterwards to make it 1-1 and all to play for. Great play and poor defending by Waltham Forest earnt Hertford a flick towards the end of the second half but captain Molly Pallett shamefully put it the wrong side of the post! The second half was a real battle for both sides as neither team wanted to walk away the loser. Hertford scored their second goal minutes into the second half following a short corner which was neatly crossed to the post by Bethan Langley and deflected in by Owen. Again Waltham Forest wouldn't let up and relentlessly attacked the wing backs Lotte Butler and Catryn Langley who defended superbly throughout. An error from Hertford in midfield was the cause of the oppositions second goal as they worked the ball forward and found a player unmarked in the D who took the game forward to a 2-2 draw. With very little time left Hertford were hungry for a win and put real pressure on Waltham Forest using pace to their advantage. A break in the midfield and excellent ball play between Maddy Twyning and Sophie Rawlinson found Heath and Pallett heading for goal and a little slip left after a run out from the keeper gave Pallett the chance to redeem herself from the earlier miss and tuck the ball away reverse stick into the goal. It was a battle from start to finish and Hertford wouldn't have won without some excellent keeping from Ella Mitham and another great stick stop from centre back Nicky Estherby on the line. Man of the match however was rightly shared between centre back Teresa Bartram who saved at least 3 balls on the line and Heath, for their positional consistency and gritty determination to win.