The Cobblers Ladies made the first of their long distance trips to the South Coast this season, for a fixture against Lewes who were boasting the only 100% record in the league. The Cobblers went into the game on the back of two emphatic wins but were under no illusions that this was going to be a tough challenge and so it proved.

Lewes attacked from the opening whistle and could easily have scored within the first twenty seconds with a touch more composure in front of goal.

The Cobblers then settled and competed well in all areas of the pitch and started to create some half chances for themselves with Elsbeth Wood providing the drive forward from midfield.

Unfortunately, just as they seemed to have weathered the early storm, a misplaced pass in midfield led to a quick counter attack from Lewes which was neatly converted for a 1-0 lead.

The response from Cobblers was swift and within five minutes Town were level. Janine Holland supplied Steph Gale with the through ball and Steph's persistence paid off as she lobbed the advancing keeper, to take her goal tally to six in the last three games.

This was then the pattern of the game, the Cobblers settling down playing some good football and then conceding a soft goal.

Lewes took the lead again after some indecisive defending allowing the ball to be squared were two players were queuing to apply the finish, which they duly did.

Again the Cobblers responded well, when heads could easily have dropped, and they continued to force Lewes back into their own half and won a series of corners that eventually lead to Laura Sutherland curling the ball directly into the net, directly from the flag kick.

Lewes were clearly shocked by the response and could perhaps sense that they were in for a tough time if they were going to continue their excellent start to the season.

Once again, the back line played well as a unit and Natalie Smith, Lisa Porter and Leanne Keen will only improve as the season continues. Sophie Cappell, had a very good game, staking a strong claim for a regular place with her hard work and willingness to venture forward.

One such foray saw her deep in the Lewes half, hustling the defence into unforced errors with her persistence to win the ball.

Lewes had their share of further chances but couldn't add to their first half tally, thanks largely to the safe hands of Serena Milenkovic in goal, with one particularly outstanding save, tipping the ball against the bar from a fierce shot and then reacting well with the re-bound.

The second half saw Lewes playing with the wind behind them and they dominated the early play without creating too many clear cut chances. They did however have one close effort, having been allowed to play on by the ref with two players injured after a clash of heads, but the chance was spurned with a wild shot over the bar.

The Cobblers worked hard to keep their shape and despite their relative lack of experience compared with their opposition, continued to keep their heads above water. The midfield quartet of Elsbeth, Lucy Bateman, Laura and Nicki Robson stood toe to toe with their counterparts and did their best to ease the pressure on their defence but at times had to rely on that bit of luck you sometimes need to grind out a result.

With Steph running out of steam, Hayley Gallacci, who again was asked to play in an unfamiliar role in attack, replaced her but she rose to the challenge well and her pace and determination added another dimension to the play.

Lewes then scored their third goal after another mistake in the Cobblers midfield that allowed their attack to calmly go around Serena in goal and finish coolly into the empty net.

This could have seen the end of the Cobblers hopes of taking anything from the game but to their credit, they continued to press for an equaliser and were duly rewarded.

Lucy supplied the through ball for Janine to strike another sweet left foot shot over the helpless Lewes keeper and in off the far post. The goal was almost a carbon copy of her goal the previous week but with slightly more importance as it enabled her team to walk of the field with a well-deserved draw, despite the last gasp efforts of Lewes to take all three points.

As the teams walked off, Cobblers were clearly happy with their afternoon's work and deservedly so.

Lewes have a hugely experienced team coupled with a strong back room staff and superb facilities to play their football in, and along with the Diamonds, have set the early season standard for everyone else to follow. The Cobblers can feel rightly proud of this performance and need to carry this forward for the rest of the season, Well done to all!!!

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