A nail biting encounter at Nyewood Lane saw the Rockettes fall to their first loss all season. Their seventeenth game of the season saw them suffer a narrow loss to high flying Aylesford.
Early on, Lou Lou Robson was tripped in the area and the referee pointed straight to the spot after just 2 minutes. Robson stepped up to slot it low into the bottom left corner to give Bognor an early lead.
Ami Burnham had the visitors first effort on 7 minutes when her shot from 20 yards was hit straight at Nicole Robinson.
Burnham tried her luck from distance on 14 minutes as Bognor lost control in midfield. She fired her strike wide of the left post though.
Robson’s long range freekick into the box had to be batted out again by Sade Rider in the Aylesford goal.
Jade Widdowson went into the book on 17 minutes for an altercation.
On 21 minutes a corner by Millie Carter was headed wide by Kate Delillis as she found herself unmarked in the area.
Carter went into the book for back chatting the referee soon after.
Aylesford got an equaliser on 26 minutes as Immi Armstrong’s long range effort was miscued by Robinson and it rolled into the net.
Bognor went behind on 35 minutes. Juliette Blyghton curled her corner from the right into the box and it was Rebecca Keyte who nodded it into an unguarded net.
Then a long range freekick into the box bounced harmlessly wide for a goal kick. Carter went to ground and had to be replaced by Kirsty Willett on 40 minutes.
Aylesford scored their third in the 3rd minute of stoppage time. Blyghton’s in-swinging corner beat the defence before finding the head of Keira Richardson who nodded in fon close range.
HT 1 – 3
At half time Leya Burchett replaced Robinson in goal at half time. Also Macie Downs was replaced by Sophia Polling.
Danni Bradshaw fouled Richardson after she let go of possession in the Bognor half. The freekick by Armstrong was hit straight at Burchett.
Then Rhiannon Hambleton cut inside on her left foot to strike at goal but it ricocheted off a defender and rebounded off Willett and out for a goal kick on 48 minutes.
Bognor scored their second goal on 55 minutes as Jade Widdowson’s long range effort was pushed out by the goalkeeper straight to Willett who knocked it in from close range.
Then Milly Penfold went into the book for her challenge on a Bognor defender.
Burchett did well to gather a cross and was doing well with her distribution down the field since coming on at half time.
A long range freekick by Polling saw Rider push it wide and then a corner by Polling saw her hit the ball to the back post but Delillis was blocked with her strike on the rise on 66 minutes.
Keyte turned well with the ball but scuffed her chance wide in a rare chance for Aylesford.
Carter came on for Robson on 73 minutes in a roll on/off substitution.
On 80 minutes it was Widdowson who was fouled just outside the box. Young Polling did well to strike her freekick with power but unfortunately it crashed off the crossbar.
Annabelle Gracey curled another long range effort was always going in as Rider tipped it round the post. Then a ball in from Carter was diverted wide at the near post by Bradshaw.
Carter’s corner was cleared off the line by Alex Witham. And then Hambleton smashed the rebound narrowly over the bar in the 84th minute.
Ella Brian went into the book for a foul on Alice Gue on the touchline. Polling’s freekick was cleared though.
Willett did well on the left to hold up play before Carter cut inside but from distance but her strike was always going to be saved.
A late corner by Carter bounced awkwardly in the box and then a clearance came off Bradshaw and out for a goal kick.
Burchett had to dash out of her goal to try and clear it but it bounced off an attacker and out.
Late drama saw Bognor really pushing up the field to try and get the equaliser inside the whopping ten minutes of added on time. But they couldn’t find the net again for the third time and so have two more away games to try and take the league title, first away to Three Bridges on Sunday 27th April with a 2pm kick off. They then face the league leaders, Aylesford away on Sunday 4th May in the season closing game with kick off at 3:30pm there.
FT 2 – 3
Rockettes: Robinson (Burchett 45), Gue, Downs (Polling 45) Carter (Willett 40), Bradshaw, Robson (Carter 73), Hambleton, Gracey, Widdowson (c), Madden, Delillis
Subs not Used: Thorns, Bowditch
