Ladies' 3s vs Selby Away

The Ladies' 3s kicked off the season with a trip to Selby as the only women's away team in action.

With a squad of 13 players, including six debutantes, and a pre-season consisting of approximately two training sessions and a lot of optimism, it was always going to be a challenge. However, from the first whistle it was clear that the team had clicked surprisingly quickly, helped no doubt by the smart new white shirts.

We knew Selby would be tough opposition, especially at home, but we started brightly. Izzy C made some excellent saves in goal to keep us on the front foot, and our first goal came through some lovely passing hockey, with Marcie Dunbar setting up Anya to make it 1-0.

Ellie Hind linked brilliantly with Emily A and Katie M in midfield as we continued to move the ball well. Anya doubled the lead in the 12th minute, again assisted by Marcie, before Selby pulled one back just before half-time. Luckily, Megan B responded almost immediately from a penalty corner to restore the two-goal advantage.

Maya added our fourth goal in the second half and, although Selby were awarded a somewhat debated second goal after an impressive goal-line scramble involving Izzy C, the decision felt fair enough.

Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived as Anya completed her hat-trick with only a few minutes remaining, sliding the ball home to secure a 5-2 win.

Player of the Match voting ended in a three-way tie between Maya, Megan B and Anya. Special mentions also go to our Queen of Assists, Marcie Dunbar, along with Katie M, Izzy C and Ellie Hind, who all picked up votes.

After the match we enjoyed team teas, which was really the first chance many of us had to properly chat as a team. With so many new faces in the squad, it was a great chance to get to know each other away from the pitch. The teas scored a solid 7/10: five points for not serving chip butties and one point each for having both meat and veggie options. The bar and service, however, were an easy 10/10. Everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming.

There was no official Donkey of the Day, although Maya's secret tumble and Marni confidently leaving a ball she was convinced was going off (it wasn't) both deserve honorary mentions.

Eventually, we started the journey home. Our car appeared determined to leave Selby via several farm tracks before locating an actual road, but we eventually made it back to Sheffield.

A huge thank you to the parent drivers for getting us there and back, to Hannah for somehow fitting half the club into her tiny car along with all the kit, and to Ellie Hind for stepping up as Team Captain for the week and doing a fantastic job. And to TESCO Abbeydale rd for sponsoring us.

A brilliant start for a new-look 3s side. Plenty to work on, plenty to be excited about, and most importantly, three points in the bag. ??