Dani Bayman reports: “Will the Ladies 1s be opening their advent calendar early? Brighton Ladies 1s stepped onto the pitch with confidence after two back-to-back victories, but Folkestone were determined to keep them below on the table.

With crucial players missing, the Brighton squad faced an uphill battle against a feisty Folkestone side. The first half was nothing short of nail-biting, with play swinging like a pendulum between the two goal areas. Both teams dug deep, defending fiercely and creating chances, but the elusive first goal remained out of reach. The whistle blew for half-time with the scoreline locked at 0–0, and Brighton coach Ryan delivered a fiery team talk, urging his side to turn opportunities into goals and put the pressure squarely on Folkestone.

As the temperature dropped, the intensity on the field skyrocketed. Brighton came out for the second half with renewed vigour, pressing high and forcing Folkestone onto the back foot. The breakthrough came when Orla lit up the right flank with a dazzling run, outpacing her marker and firing a pass into the circle. Izzy, showing quick thinking and superb skill, darted along the baseline and delivered a perfect pass to Dani, who made no mistake, slotting the ball home with precision.

The crowd erupted, their cheers echoing across the pitch. Brighton weren’t finished yet. Just five minutes later, Eliza was pouncing on an intercepted pass and surging forward. Spotting Dani making a blistering run, she delivered a pinpoint ball that left Folkestone’s defence scrambling. End result 2-0 to Brighton.

MoM: Orla and Dani.
DoD: Dani (flashing her grazed cheek).”

BHHC 3s 1
South Saxons 1s 1

Alex Smart reports: "After 75 WhatsApp messages in the Captain’s group to try and count to 11 and learn to spell “lose” (as opposed to “loose”) we were ready to battle South Saxons - a team creeping towards the top of the league. After arctic winds last week, it felt like the middle of August on this muggy Saturday afternoon.

Fresh from a busy game in goal for the 2s, Emily was very much warmed up. After successfully defending a penalty corner on the final whistle with just two defenders, we assured her that we’d try our best not to run away from her before the ball was injected.

I almost joked that we’d try not to give away a penalty flick either. Three minutes into the game, South Saxons took a shot on goal, the clearance deflected off Lizzy’s head and a stroke was awarded. After seeing Lizzy fall to the ground like a bowling pin in slow motion, we confirmed that she knew her name and what day of the week it was and the penalty ensued. Emily absolutely nailed the save and kept us at 0-0.

To put it bluntly, the game was a comedy of errors. A lot of mistrapped balls and feet galore. We’ve had better days. South Saxons were quick to the ball and despite some strong defensive work from Lizzy, Gemma, Aisha and Zoe, there was a gulf to cross to get the ball up the pitch. However, Juliet, Emily and Ellen worked tirelessly as screens to help move the ball out of an effective high press and with strong leading runs from Ange, Elise, Wan and Jo, we were able to have our own chances to attack.

South Saxons took the lead early in the game and it took a rousing half time talk and kilo of sweets for us to put up a decent fight in the second half. A winning penalty corner combo saw us equalise: a strong injection from Ange to Jo for a powerful strike with a very classy one touch finish on the post from Ange.

A draw felt like a fair result and while the gap at the top narrows, we head into the final week still top of the league by two points.

With the delicious aroma of burgers in the air, we tucked into our sandwiches. While most of the team piled on top of each other at one end of the table, Meg, Rich and I enjoyed a tea time date with the umpire. After a good 10 minute chin wag at the start of the match while doing the coin toss, it was surprising to still have so much to chat about.

PoM: Votes for relentless Ange, awesome Gemma, rock at the back Lizzie, great keeping Emily and good game Emily. And let’s not forget Ellen for bravely playing on after a stick landed in an awkward and rather painful place. And the winner is… the brick wall Gemma.

DoD: Gemma, the eager beaver for PoM and DoD votes."

Other results

BHHC 2s 2 Horsham 3s 1
Worthing 1s 6 BHHC 4s 1
BHHC 5s 0 Lewes 3s 1
South Downs 1s 1 BHHC 6s 1
BHHC 8s 0 Burgess Hill 4s 5