Alton Ladies 2, Isle of Wight 1

Alton Ladies consolidated their position in women’s Hampshire 2 with a battling 2-1 win at home to Isle of Wight on Saturday.

The home side made a positive start on an unseasonably warm day and put the heat on the visitors with some confident passing and moving, but the islanders withstood the pressure and the match became a tussle for possession.

After some tactical substitutions from manager Jon Swan, Alton found their balance and forwards Cope, Coney and Green linked well to restablish control, and after several minutes of sustained attacks Swan found Coney in the D and the experienced forward sent a reverse flick past the stranded Isle of Wight goalkeeper to give the home side a 1-0 half-time lead.

The islanders began the second half with renewed energy and Alton’s intensity ebbed by comparison.

Despite the best efforts of Chester, Pascoe, Gilbert, Orange and Millard at the back, Alton were disjointed and the visitors evened the score after ten minutes.

Spurred into action by the setback, Alton rediscovered their resolve and began to edge the islanders in terms of possession. Midfielders Moir, Small and Swan made efforts to initiate attacks but even with Jones redeployed to the forward line, the breakthrough goal seemingly wouldn’t come.

But with five minutes remaining a concerted team attack saw sweeper Kat Gilbert make a rare foray upfield and after striding through numerous defensive tackles, her shot was stopped illegally.

Gilbert dispatched the resulting penalty flick to steal the win.

It wasn’t Alton’s best performance but by no means their worst and, crucially, they showed grit and teamwork to pull off a scrappy three points.