Leighton Ladies 3rd XI vs. Shefford & Sandy Ladies 3rd XI

On Saturday afternoon Leighton Ladies 3rd XI faced 2nd in the league, Shefford and Sandy at home. This was the second time that the teams had met this season, and having had a number of defeats Leighton were eager to pull back some points.

The away team had first push back but Leighton were quick to intercept their advances winning possession early on. Shefford and Sandy worked well to keep the ball in their attacking 25, but the strong defence prevented their attempts to penetrate the D, or convert their attempts on goal. Going into the middle of the first half Leighton re-gained momentum and worked hard to drive the ball into the Shefford and Sandys defence. Shefford and Sandy tried their best to defend the home team's efforts but to little avail which lead to a scrappy but deserved goal from Rachael Clark putting them in the lead 1-0.

Leighton continued to work well together to make sure that they held their lead over the opposition, and as the half time whistle blew the score remained at 1-0 to the home team.

Conscious that the second half lay ahead and there was still work to be done, the Leighton team started the second half quickly and proceeded to attack hard. Unfortunately a short-corner awarded to Shefford and Sandy early on, gave the away team an opportunity on goal which came off putting the score at 1-1.

Tensions were high as the Leighton team saw their lead slipping away, and soon after the opposition's goal the home team stepped-up their efforts, looking to score again. The opportunity came with great team work from Hannah Avery, saw her cross the ball to Roo Fielder who took it into the D and with a well struck shot restored Leighton's lead. With the score now at 2-1, the away team pushed for a leveller but great team defence ensured that Shefford and Sandy were left frustrated.

A short corner awarded in Leightons favour, saw a shot taken from the top of the D and after a bit of a scramble, a well timed hit from captain Suzy Mounter doubled Leighton's advantage and gave them some breathing space. As the final whistle blew, Leighton were delighted with their 3-1 victory.

Man of the watch was awarded to Megan Claggett for her tremendous efforts on the pitch. The entire team worked hard and demonstrated a high standard of play, and their win this weekend was very much deserved.