Freethorpe Ladies 1, Fakenham Tn Ladies Reserves 4

Fakenham kicked off with the near gale-force wind behind them and got off to the perfect start when a speculative 30-yard shot from Kelly deceived the home keeper to give the Ghosts the lead after two minutes.

On 10 minutes Fakenham doubled their lead when under pressure from Sam, Freethorpe’s centre-half turned the ball into her own net.

Despite being a player short, Fakenham continued to dominate the half with the Town midfield of Lou, Natalie, Lorren and Pegs enjoying long spells of possession and moving the ball about well.

Pegs in particular was able to get forward and support lone striker Sam who was as usual, creating panic amongst the home defence. Freethorpe’s best offensive player Cook was trying to run the channels down the left but Laura and Jemma were able to snuff out all attempts to break through down that side.

As the half ran down Freethorpe at last started to come more into the match but captain Kelly led the defence with some crunching tackles.

With the wind against them after the break, Fakenham could have been forgiven for sitting back and trying to defend what they had. Instead they came out of the traps with a sharpness and determination to win every loose ball.

Freethorpe were starting to get a bit of a foothold on the game but the Ghosts’ defence held firm.

On 60 minutes Fakenham grabbed a deserved third goal when Sam selflessly pulled the ball back across for Pegs to slot home from close range. This stung Freethorpe into action and they then grabbed a goal back despite claims from Fakenham that the ball had been kicked out of Katie’s hands.

Fakenham responded to this injustice in the best possible way on 70 minutes when Sam scored a superb solo goal to cap an excellent all round team performance.

The final 20 minutes was played out with Fakenham showing a steely determination to preserve and, if at all possible, extend their lead. There were to be no further goals however, and the final score was a well-deserved 4-1 win for Fakenham. PoM: Jemma Riches.