TULSE HILL II 0, ALDERSHOT & FARNHAM 1

ALDERSHOT & Farnham Ladies beat close rivals Tulse Hill & Dulwich to move up to the heady heights of third in the Women’s South Div 3B.

On a rainy day in South-East London, A&F required no inspirational team-talk, just reviving coffee, and arriving a little later than planned, they were straight into the warm-up without a full squad.

All were present and ready for the start, though, and Aldershot immediately had a good pace about their game, with Emma Stewart soon pushing Tulse Hill back with a strong run.

The home players found their feet, though, and both sides moved the ball around swiftly until A&F gained a short corner and Emma Stewart belted the ball into the bottom left corner for what proved to be the decisive goal.

One-nil to the Heath End side at half-time.

For the second half, A&F clearly had a game-plan to keep the ball by passing it around. But the visitors failed to convert further chances and Tulse Hill began to attack with pace and urgency as the clock ran down.

Aldershot & Farnham clung on, though, and an eighth win of the season earned them an eighth bottle of Prosecco from the coach.

Louise Laws was named player of the match for her strong display in the middle. This week, A&F host rock-bottom Worthing (16 games, 16 defeats) at Heath End (start 12.30pm).

• Tulse Hill played their game in hand on Sunday and could only draw 2-2 with Horsham, so A&F hold that third spot.

• Before the start of Saturday’s match, the teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of a Tulse Hill & Dulwich player who had died in a skiing accident during the week.