Marlborough Town Ladies 3 Swindon Spitfires United 4
Our last game of the season was to be our toughest. As the clear underdogs, Marlborough Town Ladies wanted to prove that they were a team worthy of playing in the Cup Final.
With nerves running high, the first ten minutes at Beversbrook Recreation Ground in Calne were a little shaky.
Our back four had to work hard to keep the strong attack of Swindon Spitfires at bay. It was a relentless job and after continuous attempts, Swindon were rewarded with a penalty kick.
Luckily, the shot went wide of the net allowing Marlborough Town the opportunity to continue improving their game plan. We managed to do this with some good defensive headers and tackles but unfortunately, it was hard to maintain.
Within the first twenty minutes, Swindon scored their first goal. We continued to play hard and had numerous opportunities of counter attacks which eventually paid off. Ten minutes before the half finished, Kirsty Miles made a great run and scored to tie it up.
The second half started on a high. We were exhausted but we were proud of our first half performance and hopeful about the half ahead of us.
Knowing that the game wasn’t going to be as easy as they first thought, Swindon came out strong. Within the first 10 minutes, they scored to bring them into the lead again. But Marlborough held their heads high. Within another 10 minutes, Cheri Pattie scored to tie the game up; 2-2.
The battle continued throughout the half. Swindon scored a third and eventually a fourth goal. It was 15 minutes to the end when Sarah Thomas scored our third goal from a long range set piece. We maintained our hope.
The last part of the game was a full on attack which included the defensive players pushing forwards. When the final whistle blew, we were mentally and physically exhausted.
There was a mixture of regret and elation. Regret that we hadn’t gotten the fourth goal we so desperately wanted and elation for the strong determination and spirit we showed throughout the 90 minutes.
We had played hard, performed well and done ourselves proud. Marlborough Town Ladies had successfully gotten to their first ever Cup Final and had proved to be a worthy opponent.
We finished the event in good spirits. We received trophies, including a player of the game trophy for our captain, Sarah Thomas.
We took photographs to prove the exhaustion in our bodies and pride on our faces. We ended our season on a high and we can’t wait to see what the next season holds for us.