Army Suffer First Defeat Of The Season

The Army Women suffered their first defeat of the season against a strong, well-drilled Essex FA side.

Essex took the lead against the run of play when the referee awarded a penalty to the home side following an incident involving the Army goalkeeper.

Despite the setback, the Army showed great determination to find an equaliser. After some excellent build-up play, midfielder Izzy Crooks struck a powerful shot just inside the 18-yard box to level the score.

Army continued to dominate possession, and it was Crooks again who put the Army ahead, with a well-taken strike to give her side a 2-1 lead at the break.

A solid first-half performance from the Army.

However, Essex came out strong in the second half and began to take control of the game. In the 52nd minute, they equalised.

Essex then capitalised on a defensive error from the Army, taking a 3-2 lead. Despite continued pressure from the Army in search of another equaliser, it was Essex who sealed the victory with a fourth goal, taking all three points with a final score of 4-2.

Head Coach Craig Parker commented: "It’s exciting to see how much the team have bought into what we are trying to implement. It’s clear we are heading in the right direction. Tonight’s result stemmed from individual errors, which somewhat detracts from what was otherwise a strong team performance, with plenty of positives to take from the game. The Christmas break gives us a good opportunity to review our progress this year and focus on the upcoming run-in to IS 25."

Player of the Match: Amber Marsh