Ladies 3s vs Hertford 3

Going into this weekend, we knew it was going to be a battle. Hertford sit above us in the league, but we were ready for the challenge and determined to show what we’re made of.

We lost the toss, meaning Hertford took the first push back. They came out fast—quick, skilful and confident on the ball—so the opening spell had us on the back foot, scrambling to absorb the pressure and waiting for our chance to break. About ten minutes in, we settled, found our shape again and started playing our hockey. Emelia and Honor put in a brilliant shift at the back, making life difficult for their attackers, but eventually Hertford broke through with a powerful strike. Despite Carrie and the defensive line doing everything possible, it snuck past and we went 1–0 down.

Heads didn’t drop for a second. Chappers covered every blade of pitch, feeding the ball through to Olivia and Bekky, while Chloe, Jo and Kelley kept applying pressure up front. We just couldn’t quite find the equaliser before half-time, but the break came at the perfect moment—a chance to reset, breathe, and remind ourselves it was only one goal. The game was still ours to take.

And we proved that straight away. Only a few minutes into the second half, we were in the D and applying real pressure. The ball popped up and hit a player—everything seemed to freeze—but we’ve learnt our lesson: play to the whistle. Kelley certainly did. While the Hertford defence stopped, Kelley pounced, firing the ball onto the backboard. Cue celebrations! Level at 1–1 and the momentum instantly shifted.

That goal lit a spark. Jo, Amy and Lois kept driving us forward, and soon we’d earned a short corner. Chloe stepped up and delivered a blinder, slotting it home and putting us 2–1 ahead. At the back, Kayley, Jade and Honor dug in, closing channels and making life difficult for Hertford, even as they broke with pace and pushed our halves and defence hard.

But this was a different second half—Letchworth had fully come alive and believed in the win. Jo and Chloe linked beautifully down the right with tidy 1–2s, and pressure in the D won us another short. Chloe smashed it home again for her second of the game. Our short corners have absolutely come on this season, and this one showed it. Suddenly we were 3–1 up.

The closing minutes were… tense. Hertford pulled one back to make it 3–2, and you could feel the nerves ripple through the team. But we dug deep. Lottie came on with unbelievable energy, making crucial block tackles and rallying everyone around her. Hertford won a couple of short corners late on, turning the final moments into a frantic scramble, but the defence held firm. Then the whistle blew. A well-earned 3–2 win.

It was a proper team performance, reflected in the spread of Player of the Match votes—Olivia, Emelia, Lottie and Chloe all receiving well-deserved recognition. But the honours went to Kelley, whose quick thinking and composure secured that vital first goal, swung the momentum our way and rebuilt the belief across the whole squad.

We knew we could do it—and we did. One more game left this year… and we’ll be looking to carry this winning streak straight into it. 💙🏑