? Old Southendian 2nds 5–2 Old Loughts 3rds

First game of the season saw us playing Old Loughts 3’s for what can only be described as a perfectly sensible decision to turn up with 11 players and absolutely no substitutes. ?

To make matters even more impressive, Tash had already played a game before joining us — because apparently one hockey match wasn’t quite enough punishment for a Saturday!

We started brilliantly, taking an early lead with Tash converting a PC and giving us the dream start. ?

Unfortunately, our hosts had other ideas. Old Loughts are a very strong side who have come down from the league above, and with 14 players to our heroic 11, they had the rather significant advantage of being able to rotate while we simply… carried on running. And running. And running. ?

They eventually found their way back into the game and built a lead, but despite the scoreline, the girls never stopped fighting. It was fast-paced, competitive hockey and we challenged them throughout, making them work for every goal.

The second half brought another deserved goal for us, with Chloe smashing home from a PC to make it 5–2. ??

With no subs, tired legs and lungs that were beginning to question every life choice that had led us to this point, we somehow kept going until the final whistle! ?

Final score: Old Southendians 2-5 Old Loughts

The scoreline might not have gone our way, but the effort absolutely did. We battled from the first whistle to the last, never gave up and made a very strong team work hard for their win.

As captain, I genuinely couldn’t be prouder of this lot. ❤️?
11 players. No subs. One player already had a game in her legs. Zero excuses. Maximum effort.

Exhausted? Absolutely.
Still standing? Just about.
Proud captain? 100%. ???