Haslemere Ladies II 0, Alton Ladies 4

Alton Ladies travelled to Haslemere in dreary weather conditions for their second league fixture after Christmas – and a fine 4-0 win certainly lifted the gloom.

Even after last week’s confident result against Gosport the mood in the squad reflected the weather with the first half of this women’s Hampshire 2 match lacking excitement.

Despite some strong runs down both sides of the pitch and a textbook drive into the circle from Ariana Hawkins, who slid a square pass to Gayle Moir who slotted the ball past the Haslemere goalkeeper to put the visitors ahead, the opposition managed to step up and cut out many of Alton’s passes, counter attacking on several occasions which resulted in end-to-end hockey.

But a half-time pep talk from the coach and a plea for more aggression and urgency had the desired result. What followed was 35 minutes of high-intensity hockey, with Moir scoring her second goal courtesy of a pass from captain Vicky Small after a short corner routine had broken down.

The third goal came from a driving run up the right by Abi Green who passed to Leah Coney on the penalty spot and left her with a simple slap into the net, while the final goal came from defender-turned-attacker Naomi Jones thanks to another assist from skipper Small.

Despite the scoreline the Alton defence were worked hard when Haslemere countered, successfully defending two short corners and providing goalkeeper Ellie Chester with a clean sheet.

Special mention goes to Megan Southgate and Emily Pascoe on their first-team debuts, guided by the ever-dependable cool head of centre back Kat Gilbert with Zoe Swan and Caroline Orange working hard in midfield.

The win gives Alton another big lift ahead of two homes games in as many days this weekend – first against third-placed Hamble in women’s Hampshire 2 on Saturday, then against Gosport in the first round of the Hampshire Cup 24 hours later.

* Alton Ladies’ second team were held to a goalless draw at home by Southampton fifths despite bossing the game.

The home side had significantly more of the attacking play but were unable to convert their possession and chances into goals.

Some excellent work in midfield by Tash Lindley, Annabel Hudson and Jo Ryan provided a strong base for the forward line, with Nat Milner also taking the opportunity to push forward.

In spite of only conceding one short corner and having five attacking short corners, the score remained resolutely 0-0. Alton can take some positives from the way that any attacks were quickly turned over but need to sharpen up on finishing.