Sandwell Ladies 4-2 Sutton Coldfield Town Royals

After 2 months without a game and the Christmas-break, the Royals played Sandwell Ladies who previously beat them 4-1 at the start of December

Fitness was not at its best due to the time off, and the lack of subs meant the Royals were in for a tough game

However a strong first-half display saw them create chances and go in at half-time unlucky to be 1-0 down

Sutton also started the second-half strongly, with Holly Bloor narrowly missing out with a headed attempt saved by the Sandwell keeper

Sandwell doubled their lead early in the second-half

Not long after, an attempt by Lauren Swift ricocheted off a Sandwell player and landed at the feet of Holly Bloor who tapped it home to make it 2-1

Sandwell responded almost immediately to make it 3-1

Goalkeeper Neve Jones then produced a fantastic 1-on-1 save from the Sandwell striker to keep Sutton in the game

Then at the other end, a corner that was only half-cleared fell to Lauren Swift who hammered a low shot into the left-hand corner of the goal on the half-volley to make it 3-2

Again the response from Sandwell was swift, with their goalscorer getting her 4th of the game to make the scoreline 4-2

Unfortunately the game ended badly for Sutton as an injury to Holly Bloor resulted in the need for an ambulance and a trip to A&E

Much to to the relief of all concerned however the injury turned out not to be as bad as first feared

Our thanks must go to Sandwell for their help with the treating the injury, and also to their player who whilst working her shift as a nurse later that night came to check on Holly

Despite not having played for 2 months, this was the Royals best display of the season so far in the view of several players and spectators

This was even more impressive considering the fact there were 7 teenagers in the team, 3 of whom were also making their debut

Lots of positives to take forward for the rest of the season