Ladies 2's suffer 2-1 defeat

After the elation of taking a point from the division leaders last week, to the disappointment of losing 2-1 at home to Reading this week, what a difference a week can make it sport! The home team knew that two wins from two was the only thing guaranteeing them 2nd place but sadly they found themselves up against a Reading Rebels team who have clearly improved from the early part of the season. The Rebels man-marked and pressurised the P&R eleven from the opening whistle and obviously had a game plan to upset the form book.

P&R still managed to get in the lead after 25 mins with Naomi Ashcroft grabbing a goal from just inside the left post after Phoebe Gannon sent across a lovely ball from the right hand side after a quick break out of defence and a great through ball from Jess Greener.

With the home team going into half time only 1 up, the game was evenly balanced. Reading fought back hard in the 2nd half and kept chasing down P&R players and putting the team under pressure. They got their equaliser with 20 mins left on the clock from open play and despite P&R working hard to get back into a winning position, they couldn't find the killer touch to score again.

With P&R pushing for a winner, Reading make the most of their chances, and grabbed their 2nd on a third attempt at a short corner. The home side just couldn't clear their lines, and Rebels poked the ball home to take all 3 points and set back P&R's chances of a 2nd placed finish.

It's not all over yet though - the team visit Wychwood needing 3 points from the game and for Marlow to slip up to get back into the promotion places. It will be a tough ask, but regardless of the result, the team should be proud of their success this season in their 2nd year in Div 2 and with some promising youngsters settling into the squad. Good luck for next weekend ladies!