ANDOVER 1, ALDERSHOT & FARNHAM 3

ALDERSHOT & Farnham Ladies bounced back from defeat against a strong Basingstoke side with a fine win over Andover who were relegated from the South league last season.

With input from coach Mark Robinson and short-corner captain Louise Laws, A&F addressed their set-piece problem after last week’s issues and an excellent naming system based on fireworks night paid rich dividends.

Their very first short corner was put away with a straight strike from Di Taylor, the ball deflecting in off a defender.

Later, a misfired injection at another short corner came out to the left and the ball was slapped across and deflected in by Sara Nankivell to make it 2-0.

A&F then came under sustained pressure from Andover, resulting in a green card and a goal for the home side.

The second half began with Aldershot again under sustained pressure as they tried to protect their slender 2-1 lead and excellent work-rate from the whole team kept Andover at bay.

Finally, A&F broke out from defence to force yet another short corner. This one was slipped left from the top to player-of-the-match Mel Sutherland who fired straight across the D and into the far corner for the vital third goal.