Chard Ladies 1s made the long trip to Exeter in truly grim conditions, battling through heavy rain, strong winds and even local flooding just to make pushback — commitment levels unmatched before a ball was even hit.

With no goalkeeper available this week, Lois bravely stepped in as sweeper, but thanks to an outstanding defensive performance, she was rarely called into action. The back line of Jade, EJ, Min and Ruby were rock solid throughout, calmly shutting down Exeter’s attacks and keeping things controlled at the back.

Chard started on the front foot and were rewarded early with a well-worked short corner. Layla injected and delivered a great cross to Amy, who made no mistake, calmly pushing the ball into the corner to open the scoring.

The pressure continued and Chard soon doubled their lead. A goalmouth opportunity fell to Katie, who reacted quickest to sweep the ball into the back of the net.

Despite creating several more chances before half time, Exeter defended bravely and their keeper pulled off some important saves to keep the scoreline down.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Chard dominating possession. In the middle of the pitch, Sash and Lauren linked up brilliantly, playing some lovely one-twos to drive the team forward and support the attack.

Chard’s third goal came from a scrappy but well-fought moment in the D, with Layla pouncing during a goalmouth scramble to force the ball over the line. The fourth followed soon after when Katie drove into the D and got a shot away; the rebound fell kindly to Charlotte, who slotted home.

The fifth and final goal was a great team move, with Charlotte threading the ball through to Katie, who kept her composure to round the keeper and finish confidently.

A dominant team performance in difficult conditions saw Chard come away with a well-deserved 5-0 win on the road.

Player of the Match: Jade, for non-stop running and a tireless performance in defence.
Dick of the Day: Sasha, for turning up at the wrong pitch — directions pending for next week.