Result: 0-4

It was always going to be a mountain to climb facing the champions-elect for the fourth consecutive time. Despite recent results, the Hawks started with a point to prove, pushing North Shields hard for the opening 20 minutes with a high-energy, bright start.

The game turned on a controversial moment when Beth Gordon was tripped in the box. It appeared a blatant penalty to everyone in attendance, yet the referee waved it away. To compound the frustration, Beth was sin-binned for her protests. Down to 10 players against a side of Shields’ quality, the numerical disadvantage told, and they capitalised to open the scoring.

Feeling aggrieved and losing focus, we conceded further goals to go 3-0 down by the break. A halftime tactical switch to 4-3-3 saw a much-improved second half where we took the game to the opposition. While Shields added a fourth to secure a deserved win, the scoreline doesn’t reflect the “what if” regarding that early penalty.

Player Highlights

• POTM: Hannah – A tireless performance under pressure.
• Special Mention: Serenity, who stepped up for the team in the unfamiliar role of goalkeeper and gave her absolute best for the squad.

We reset, find our luck elsewhere, and keep climbing. Onwards and Upwards.