It was late drama as the Rockettes came from two goals behind to win again at Nyewood Lane to remain unbeaten in the league. Millie Carter and Rhiannon Hambleton got a goal each and the winner came courtesy of an own goal from Lou Lou Robson’s freekick inside stoppage time, to give Bognor a decent win against a defensively strong SEFA side.
Undefeated Rockettes were back home at Nyewood Lane as they welcomed SEFA to Bognor. Last time out at the away fixture, Bognor got their first point of the season with a 1 – 1 draw.
A late change saw Steph Madden pull up in the warm up and so Molly Thorns replaced her in the starting line up.
Early on Lou Lou Robson did well to fire it out wide to Alice Gue but her cross was cut out by the goalkeeper Amelie Payne.
Gue teed up Gracey with a through ball but her ball into the area was gathered by Payne.
A long ball over the top was ran onto by Carter who hit a chance from outside the box but the ball flew wide on 10 minutes.
It was a poor back pass on 13 minutes by Gue that saw Storm Arnold run onto it before spotting Amelia Atterbury off her line to shoot high into the net.
Good work on the left saw Kirsty Willett set Gracey with a run through defence before a left footed shot forced Payne into a parried save.
Jade Widdowson did well to find Carter with a chipped pass. Carter composed herself before shooting wide of the far post.
Atterbury was there to deny Arnold another goal from the edge of the box on 23 minutes.
Carter did well to tee up Gue with a long run and she beat the goalkeeper to it before shooting it off the left post on 30 minutes.
Carter then passed it to Robson but she knocked it wide on the bounce. Then a Carter corner was punched out by Payne straight to Molly Thorns who hit it narrowly over the bar.
Gracey did well to run through the defence moments later but she diverted her left footed effort wide of the left post on 32 minutes.
Gracey went down under a challenge in the box but the referee instead gave the goal kick on 40 minutes.
Carter complained after a late challenge but instead was shown a yellow card and was sin-binned.
Bognor couldn’t get the ball out of their own half before Arnold latched onto it before smashing it high into the top corner of the net to give the visitors a two-goal advantage at half time.
HT 0 – 2
Nicole Robinson came on into the goal for the second half for the Rockettes as there was an uphill struggle to secure a point at least in this game.
Ellie-Mae Hogan tripped Gracey on the right. Robson stepped up to take the long range effort. Payne diverted it wide. Carter had returned from her sin bin and a cross from the Bognor number 7 was well saved by Payne who was having a great game in goal for the visitors.
However, Bognor got a goal back on 55 minutes. Following a cross, the ball fell to Robson who played a nice ball to Carter in the box and she ran on before slotting it low into the net.
On 60 minutes Megan Thompson replaced Gracey for the Rockettes.
Thompson whipped in a cross after good work from Dannielle Bradshaw at the back. The goalkeeper got there first though before Rhiannon Hambleton’s advance on 62 minutes.
Maddy Chapman went down under a challenge but the linesman had already flagged for offside on 65 minutes.
A lofted pass by Robson did well to pick out the run of Gue but her strike across goal was saved by Payne on 71 minutes.
Then Robson did well to shoot from distance but she swerved her chance wide.
Jade Widdowson had a deflected chance wide. Then Carter’s corner found the head of Robson but she was denied by the right hand of Payne.
Another cross by Carter forced Payne into another save in the air moments later.
Carter did well getting the cross in for Gue on the run and after she sped into the box her low attempt bounced wide of the left post on 77 minutes.
Bognor got their deserved equaliser on 83 minutes. A nice run down the right by Gue ended in the right back getting a decent cross into the danger area and it was Hambleton who got there ahead of her defender to knock it in from close range.
Tegan Wainwright brought Carter down on the attack and she got her second yellow card after complaining and was sent to the stands for the remainder of the game. Robson stepped up to take the freekick but diverted it over the wall but wide of the left post.
Arnold was shown a yellow card inside stoppage time. Robson’s long ball into the area was nodded high into the air before an goal earned the home side the win.
Another fine win from the Bognor women and they remain unbeaten. Next up the Rockettes are home again as they welcome Steyning on Wednesday 30-Oct at 7:45pm.
FT 3-2
Rockettes: Amelia Atterbury, 2 Alice Gue, 3 Kirsty Willett, 4 Macie Downs, 5 Lou Lou Robson, 7 Millie Carter, 8 Dannielle Bradshaw, 10 Rhiannon Hambleton, 11 Annabelle Gracey, 13 Jade Widdowson (c), 6 Molly Thorns. Subs: 9 Megan Thompson, 1 Nicole Robinson, 17 Lydia Forden.
