Ecstatic, Emotional and Evening light!

This week is a bit delayed as it has taken me this long to mentally prepare to drop the news that there is NO Fairbrother fun fact this week. We have a range of support services on hand for this loss.

6pm Pushback meant the mighty pinks spent their Saturdays doing a variety of things. Some played in the 2s game, some watched the 2s and 3s, others did some cleaning and got those messy chores done.

Dodging the massive puddle in the car park the team arrived at Stourport ready and raring to go. Minus a gumshield. Thankfully Vicky ‘The Hero’ Woolford had a spare that BP could remold. Problem solved. And DOD assumed so everyone was automatically going to have a better game… cause that’s how it works… right?!

Pink kit decided upon, as worst-case scenario ex mighty pinks players just pass to us. Umpires happy. Floodlights on. Sheep (or goats) surrounding the pitch. The game got underway.

The first half was even. No team really had the upper hand. Stourport were compressing the middle, so Sutton just went down the flanks, and then also through the middle as spaces became available.

Despite Sue’s self-proclaimed tricky 5 minutes, she dominated some tricky play with dodgy foot. Manning and Moore were back at it controlling the defence. The forwards were creating as much mischief as they could. Everything just seemed a bit slippery, including the pitch.
Second half came around and the same motions remained. Sutton kept finding the opportunities but could not get the ball over the line. In fact Stourport were the first to break the deadlock.

After a string of corners they were able to get a deflection in. 1-0 to the home side.

However, mere moments later Sutton went up the other end and won a corner of their own. That the legend that is, Sophie Manning, slotted home. Ecstatic celebrations everywhere. 1-1 and then things got interesting.

Sutton picked up two cards within 30 seconds of each other. First, for Mez after some dramatics from the opposition. Second, EP for hitting the ball away. A yellow… So down to 9 the mighty pinks defended their lives. Which weren’t at risk too much, in fact they countered more with 9 players.

Slight substitution drama as card times ran out and players needed back on the pitch. But it worked out perfectly.

Groves picked a corner beautifully squashing Stourport’s only opportunity. Carpay between the posts stopped any further chances. Mollie put in tackles and passes and leads and ran rings around everyone.

Opportunities kept coming for Sutton, but the Stourport keeper kept out any strike from BP, McCabe and Freya. The most impactful change of the last few minutes saw Stourport go in overly hard for a tackle, so hard that it snapped Groves’ stick in half.

Game ended 1-1. One more point secured than last year. Another step up from last season.

POM went to Mollie for her stunning efforts in attack and defence. DOD to BP with a few votes thrown Groves’ sticks way. There’s no fun fact answer this week, so all is left to say is the mighty pinks return to Wyndley for a battle versus Gloucester who are on a giant killing spree.