Royals Women 0-2 Lichfield City Ladies

After maximum points from two tough away games, the Royals opened their campaign at Coles Lane against Lichfield City Ladies. The visitors are familiar foes under their former guise of Solihull Ladies United, but are enjoying a new lease of life under their new identity and new home. City had enjoyed an emphatic 5-1 win at Redditch United on the opening day, before losing out on home turf to a single goal against Stourbridge.

The Royals named an unchanged starting line up from the 4-0 success at Kidderminster a week earlier, with Harriet Shaw-Roberts and Tiara Hemans returning to the bench.

The visitors started the game the more lively as the home side struggled to get going. The play was mostly scrappy with lots of turnovers in play and defences on top. Demi Walker fired over from distance but the home side failed to heed the warning and midway through the half Laura Smith was afforded too much time and space on the edge of the box and fired home via the underside of the bar, with the Assistant Referee correctly adjudging that the ball had crossed the line before rebounding into the arms of home keeper Lottie McElroy.

The home side hit back as Sophie Levick's deep delivery found Ruth Graham unmarked, but the skipper couldn't quite get enough on the header to trouble the keeper.

Lawrence then broke through for the visitors and fired a good chance wide under pressure from Sarah Lampitt, before Niamh Deasy held the ball up well to release Imogen Fisher on goal, but Lucy Green was quick off her line to smother the chance.

Lawrence again broke through, but Ally Forbes was alert to mop up the danger, as the home side found it hard to break through a resolute visiting defence and went in at the break trailing.

The half time team talk went out of the window as City doubled their lead three minutes into the second half. A seemingly soft free kick was awarded on the left flank, but there was no doubt about the delivery, as Smith's sweet in-swinging strike eluded everyone to bounce in off the far post.

The home side again had the chance to respond as Graham's long kick eluded the defence and Fisher raced clear, volleying straight at keeper Green from 25 yards when an extra touch was maybe the better option.

The home side threw on an extra attacker in Hemans as they tried to get back into things. This left them stretched on the break but Graham and Forbes were holding firm to leave McElroy largely untroubled. Chances were also few and far between at the other end, as Green recovered a fumbled free kick with Graham lurking, before the keeper's errant touch was almost seized upon by Deasy, but the stopper recovered to toe the ball away at the last second.

The Royals looked to have finally fashioned their best chance of a lifeline, as Levick flicked on McElroy's clearance to leave Deasy clear on goal, before being stopped in their tracks by a controversial offside flag, much to the astonishment and frustration of the home contingent.

With that, their chances were gone and the visitors claimed a deserved victory.

Player of the Match was skipper Ruth Graham, who is kindly sponsored by Rotary Club Wylde Green.

The Royals will look to put things right on Sunday, as they travel to Lye Town for their next league fixture.

The next fixture here at Coles Lane is the following Sunday, October 3rd (2pm), as Redditch United are the visitors in the Vitality Women's FA Cup Second Qualifying Round.