On a warm day at The Nest, Magpies kicked off their 24/25 season against Surbiton in a tightly contested match. The game began evenly with Surbiton applying early pressure, but Magpies settled quickly into their disciplined structure. Holly Hartley, making her debut, was a standout in deep defence keeping Surbiton at bay. As the game progressed, Magpies started to build momentum with Jess Bloom and Beth Gardens linking play through the middle, but the first quarter ended 0-0 after a hard-fought battle.
In the second quarter Magpies took control, dominating possession and winning the ball high up the pitch. After a flowing move down the right involving Issy Wolfe and Emily Hicks, Olivia Williams found space at the far post to slot home and make it 1-0. However, Surbiton responded strongly, testing Magpies’ defence. Maddie Taylor, Jess Lamprell, and Lauren Barber held firm until Surbiton eventually scored with a rocket reverse, levelling the game at 1-1 going into halftime.
The second half saw Magpies continue to improve, displaying maturity in their play by taking care of possession and staying disciplined in the press. Surbiton struggled to penetrate the midfield line, with Cherry Seaborn-Sheeran making it difficult for them to enter the attacking third. Jess Smith led from the front to stop anything coming through the middle of the pitch. Despite both teams pushing for a winner the match ended 1-1, a positive result for Magpies against last season’s league winners. With a point secured, Magpies head into next week’s away fixture against Isca looking to build on this strong start. A special mention must go to Holly Hartley, Ellie Brine, Jess Smith and Maddie Taylor for making their National League debuts.
Player of the match was awarded to Jess Smith.
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