East Grinstead Ladies 1’s made hard work for themselves against a determined Burgess Hill side, just one place below EG in the Sussex Ladies Premier League.

The less said about the first half the better... EG put in their worst first-half performance of the season so far.  EG players were diving into tackles all over the pitch, the communication was poor (and for periods non-existent), and the work rate was below expectations. 

EG had by far the greater share of possession, however they squandered chance after chance, and wasted numerous short corners.  It should be noted that the Burgess Hill keeper kept her team in the game, but the EG forwards and midfielders did not demonstrate enough initiative or urgency in the circle to convert any chances into goals.  Conversely, Burgess Hill took full advantage of the complacency of EG’s defence and indeed scored from both of their first half chances: two shots, two goals, half-time score: 2-0 to Burgess Hill.

After a stern half-time talk from coach Leman, EG made amends in the second half.  Gradually, they came to life and the communication became more audible and positive.  6 minutes into the second half, Helen Prinsloo scored EG’s first goal, after intelligent attacking play from Louise Keith and JoJo Blunt.

At the back, EG’s defence were more alert; Ellie Sawyer and Louise Shaill made key tackles, and at centre back Michelle Wolfe worked hard to distribute the ball from her central position.  The communication from Nikki Robinson and Charlotte Gregory also improved into the second half, providing more direction to EG’s defence and midfield.  Emma Pearson in particular responded well, and worked hard to limit any attacking play through Burgess Hill’s key midfielder.

19 minutes into the second half, Vicky Griffiths scored EG’s second goal, flicking a pass from Steph Baggett into the back of the net.  With the scores now level at 2-2, EG stepped up another gear and played with commitment and determination.  Much to the crowd’s (Wolfe, Griffiths and Creelman) frustration it was another 10 minutes before EG took the lead, through Pauline Joseph and a well-worked corner routine.

Burgess Hill then seemed to tire towards the end of the match, and EG took full advantage, scoring three further goals.  Briony Bray coolly converted a penalty stroke (awarded when Gregory’s powerful corner strike was illegally saved on the line) to take the score to 4-2 after 31 minutes.  Stephanie Baggett then made an excellent individual run, around several Burgess Hill defenders, and scored a clever goal from a very narrow angle.  Briony Bray scored her second just before the final whistle, converting a pass into the circle from Griffiths.

With 6 second half goals (the coach ordered 5 at half-time so even his expectations were exceeded), the final score was 6-2 to EG, who remain fourth in the league.  EG meet Lewes (currently placed second in the league) at home next Saturday at midday.

Scorers: H Prinsloo, V Griffiths, B Bray (2), P Joseph, S Baggett