Eastern Region Women’s Football League

Division One East

 Sunday 18^th December 2005

 Haverhill Rovers 4 – 2 Chelmsford City

 With a 15 minute delay for kick off and a depleted squad due to injuries and unavailability, City were dealt yet another blow after just 10 minutes, when Laura Kendle suffered a recurring back injury and was forced to make way for Gillian McPhee in the centre of defence.

    The opening 25 minutes saw Haverhill steal the show, the home side netted twice after a spell of immense pressure on the City defence.  However, Chelmsford came back just as strong, and before half-time they had pulled a goal back courtesy od a neat finish from Angela McPhee.

    City did not have Haverhill’s luxury of bringing on fresh legs due to their forced substitution early in the game and this proved costly, with an energetic Rovers side netting another two goals in the space of 10 minutes.  But once more the visitors fought back, this time through a shot from Ashleigh Harding, which bounced off a Haverhill defender and into the back of the net to give City some hope.

    City then began to spring into life and this set up a tense finish to the game, Laura Brown striking the upright and Emma Wells heading over from 6 yards out.  But by this time the game was beyond reach, and despite a battling performance from a depleted Chelmsford team.

    Haverhill rightly held on for the win to send the visitors’ title hopes crashing down.