The Old Southendian Ladies 5th team finally got their season underway with an away trip to local rivals Chelmsford — and, rather inconveniently for a team containing plenty of experienced legs, the sun decided to turn up too.

It was glorious sunshine all match, which was lovely for the spectators ( coaches) but somewhat less welcome for the midfield runners, who quickly discovered that running around in the heat is considerably harder than it looks from the sidelines!

A special mention goes to Freya, making her debut for the 5s. She was given a very specific brief before the game and proceeded to fulfil it 100%. So much so that she was surely a contender for Player of the Match. Either that or everyone else was too hot to argue.

The first half belonged largely to Old Southendian. The 5s pressed Chelmsford high up the pitch and created plenty of pressure, spending far more time in their half than they managed in ours. Unfortunately, the Chelmsford goalkeeper had other ideas and produced a string of saves to keep her side in the game.

Despite the pressure, the half-time whistle arrived with the score still 0–0.

The second half continued in much the same fashion, with Old Southendian looking dangerous and continuing to work hard. However, midway through the half, the dreaded combination of youth versus experience finally caught up with us.

Chelmsford broke through and went 1–0 up.

Despite plenty of effort from the 5s, the equaliser wouldn’t come, and the final whistle confirmed a narrow defeat.

But there were plenty of positives to take from the first outing: a new team finding its feet, some excellent pressure hockey, a debutant who followed instructions to the letter, and a performance that deserved more than the scoreline suggested.

Final score: Chelmsford 1 – 0 Old Southendian Ladies 5s

And the big question after the game… who thought playing hockey in that much sunshine was a good idea?

Russ - L5s Coach