at Ram Meadow, Bury St. Edmunds
Thursday 15th November
After winning our first two games of the season, it was the turn of Huntingdonshire to visit Suffolk. After Cambridgeshire had won the previous night, Suffolk knew that they needed at least a point to go back to the top of the table.
The game was played at Ram Meadow, the home of Bury Town and they must be complimented on the standard of the playing surface.
Suffolk started very positively and moved the ball around with great confidence and after a few early chances a through ball in the 14th minute from Gordon put Bass in on goal and she calmly slotted the ball home past Kuch. Within three minutes the lead was doubled, Lunn in the Suffolk goal released Bass to run through the non existent Hunts defence to once again finish with ease. With the benefit of a two goal lead Suffolk were in total command of the game and passed the ball around so well that Hunts were at times chasing shadows. The third goal was a team effort that began with Lunn and involved Rex, Gordon, Bitten and finished off for her hat trick by Bass. In the 35th minute the back three of Smith, Gordon and Monaghan combined to release Parnell on the left and her run and cross was converted first time by Bass for the fourth goal of the game for her and Suffolk. Three minutes before half time Monaghan found Blake with a throw in, she then found Turner on the edge of the penalty area who turned and chipped the ball over the Kuch in the Hunts goal to make the half time score Suffolk 5 Hunts 0.
It was always going to be difficult to reach the same level of football in the second half when you are five goals ahead, but although the football was not of the same quality as the first half, Suffolk still managed to add two more goals within the first 15 minutes of the half. For the first Peacock found Bass, who beat the offside trap to score past Everall, who had replaced Kuch in the Hunts goal and then a Suffolk free kick found Monaghan free in the penalty area and she calmly finished past the despairing Everall. Hunts continued to look for a consolation and were rewarded in the 65th minute with a great volley from Palmer, from 25 yards, after a poor defensive header.
Suffolk continued to create chances during the final 20 minutes but were unable to add any more goals.
After the match manager Mark Lawerence commented, “Once again a superb display of football from the Suffolk women, especially in the first half, when there passing game was a pleasure to watch”.