After spending a very wet week wondering if the game would be on, the Satellites arrived to find a surprisingly dry pitch, a dry day and even a healthy dose of sunshine.
Richmond started the game in second place in the league, 3 points ahead of the Satellites but having played 4 more games. An important game for both teams and a bit of a six pointer.
Without Alex or Tallulah Emily was moved to centre back and we started the game in a 4 4 2 formation with Jamie in goal for the first half.
Churt hadn’t played on grass for quite some time and the long grass and bumpy pitch made it hard to play our usual flowing passing game, and after 5 minutes a ball over the top of the defence was chased down by a Richmond forward who was able to take advantage of a little hesitation and score the first goal of the game.
The rest of the half was a tight affair with few clear-cut chances for either side, with Richmond having the better of the midfield battle. They were well organised and strong defensively and the Satellites formation wasn’t quite working especially in the middle of the pitch. We were also treated to some strange refereeing decisions that we are still unable to explain, and a couple of bizarre misses from the opposition linesman who seemed determined not to use his flag even when the ball was more than a foot out of play on at least two occasions.
The half ended with Richmond one goal to the good and with the Satellites trying to work out what needed to change to get us back into the game. We felt we needed to pack the midfield a little more and make more use the wings so moved to 3 5 2 with Amy T and Maisie playing as wing backs.
As the second half started it was clear that the formation change was more effective and after only 3 minutes Phoebe did some good work and got the ball to Maisie who ran into the box, and from near the penalty spot beat the keeper with a great shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. Another quality goal from Maisie to keep her scoring run going.
Churt now seemed a bit more up for the match and had more of the pressure but still with few clear chances for either team. On 15 minutes though some good pressing by the Richmond forwards disposessed our defence and the ball was smashed into the roof the net giving Tilly little chance.
The Satellites continued to press and the Richmond keeper was definitely the busier, but slightly against the run of play Richmond hit the post from a great volley from a corner. That was close.

After 67 minutes Churt finally got a deserved goal when Maisie fed Hannah who controlled the ball well and poked it into the goal from fairly close range. Another goal for Hannah who also continues her great scoring record.

Churt now stepped up the pressure looking for the winning goal and had a number of half chances as the ball spent most of the time in and around the Richmond penalty area. With a few minutes to go Ella hit a great free kick from about 25 yards which the keeper saved well and tipped onto the bar – so close.

The team continued to look for a winner but the game ended 2-2. Overall probably a fair result and not a bad point away from home against a decent team on a difficult surface and after going behind twice.
It was great to see Liv back after being out of action for so long and her battling performance reflected that of the team. Similarly Phoebe never stopped battling for the whole 80 minutes and was awarded player of the match – well done Phoebe and well done all the girls for never giving up. This could be a vital point come the end of the season as the Satellites push to finish as high up the league as possible.