MINEHEAD pulled off a 3-1 away win over Wellington Wildcats in Under 12 South Division in the Somerset Girls Football League.

On a high from their opening day victory, Minehead looked to put together another performance they could be proud of. The game kicked off with The Blues quickly in the ascendancy. Evie was causing havoc among the Welly backline with her tenacious attacking and pressing. This gave her team a platform to nab in and take advantage of errors.

Frequent shots followed from Evie, Darcy, Ines, and Maja, proving lacklustre. Minehead were in the ascendancy and were finally rewarded following a quick corner which Maja managed to squeeze in at the near post.

Wellington responded quickly with some changes that did put Minehead on the back foot right until the stroke of half-time when a fine strike was put into Mia’s bottom corner; the heroic dive from the keeper left her finger tips away from making a fantastic save. The whistle sounded soon after, leaving the teams tied at the break.

Following a team talk, a slight shift in formation and responsibilities resulted in Minehead taking full control of the game. The platform for this was given by central midfielders Chloe and Ines, who remained disciplined, hardworking, and committed to giving the attack a strong foundation.

This change freed up Maja, who is proving that she needs no invitation to take the game at times single-handedly to the opposition. Run after run, shot after shot finally resulted in Maja getting her second and restoring Minehead’s lead.

Minehead kept pushing for a third, but it wasn’t coming. Naturally, nerves start to play a part. But not for the backline of debutant Tilly, skipper Poppy, and the ruthless Dotty. Between them, they kept Wellington at bay time and time again, winning the 50/50 battles and making sensible decisions in tricky situations.

As the game progressed into the final stages, that elusive third goal for Minehead was finally delivered by Darcy who, putting in a fantastic shift on the right, bravely got among a melee to strike into the empty net as the onrushing keeper couldn’t get back.

This was the decisive moment that secured the 3-1 victory for The Blues. That makes it two from two for this new team. Once again without a sub they showed togetherness and work rate of a seasoned team.

There’s a long season ahead facing some top teams, but these opening two games have given everyone involved so much to be excited about in the short and long term. Players of the match - Chloe, Maja and Darcy