Gornal Ladies started this match looking for their sixth consecutive league win and having conceded only one this season confidence was high.
In the opening exchanges the play was controlled by Gornal, having the advantage of playing down a considerable slope and coping reasonably well with an undulating surface. Gornal managed to carve out six clear cut chances in the first 10 minutes without managing to put the ball into the net. The closest was a through ball from Moore which was latched onto by top scorer Letford who slotted the ball neatly past the keeper only to see it rebound off the inside of the post and into the grateful arms of the beaten keeper.
Rubery worked hard to chase Gornal players all over the pitch and this was rewarded after forcing a poor back pass to Sam who first tried to clear but sliced the ball hitting a Rubery attacker and her attempt to clear the rebound also hit a second attackers legs and rebounded towards the goal. The Rubery attacker gratefully accepted the gift and passed the ball into the net.
The attacking pressure continued from Gornal and within two minutes Gornal was level. The goalkeepers kick was headed down by Lewis to Arrowsmith who slotted the ball through for Moore to beat the keeper with a deft chip from 20 yards out which just cleared the right angle of bar and post.
Five minutes later Arrowsmith scored her first goal of the day collecting the ball on the edge of the area and drilling a left foot shot just inside the post beating the keepers despairing dive.
Letford was again played in by Brookes and her left foot shot hit the crossbar. Moore attempted to convert the rebound which was blocked by two Rubery players diving in bravely to get their bodies in the way.
A poor kick out from the keeper went straight to Moore on the edge of the area. She attempted a half volley which the keeper managed to get her finger tips to and then rushed back to recover the ball before it crossed the line.
It was only a matter of time before Gornal scored again and it came from a throw in on the right hand side into striker Letford who turned and slotted the ball through to Moore to take the ball round the keeper and slot into the empty net.
Gornal didn’t have everything their own way and the quick Rubery forwards had a couple of chances when out pacing the Gornal defence but couldn’t manage to hit the target.
Another attack down the left saw a ball played in by Walker which the Rubery defender failed to control and Arrowsmith took the ball to the left and scored with another looping shot over the keeper. The final goal of the half was scored by Hamill- Moss who ran 35 yards to get on the end of a low cross by Moore.
Half time score was 1-5 to Gornal.
The second half continued in a similar way to the first with Gornal carving out several chances without scoring but the defence was tightened up cancelling out the threat from the Rubery forwards with Hamill-Moss and Green snuffing out any threat through the centre ably assisted by fullbacks Lewis and Brookes . Fifteen minutes into the half and a goalkick was collected in midfield by Arrowsmith who released winger Dixon with a delightful diagonal ball. The speedy winger exchanged passes with Moore before rifling a shot across the Rubery goal which took a deflection and nestled into the back of the net.
Minutes later a diagonal through ball from Moore released Gornals other young wing Linney whose cross was gratefully accepted by Letford making no mistake from three yards out. Fullback Lewis then released Dixon down the left wing and her cross was collected by Arrowsmith who set up a half volley with her right foot which flew over the keeper.
The final goal of the day was from end to end. Started by keeper Brough passing into Arrowsmith on the halfway line. Arrowsmith played the ball through to Dixon who in turn played in Letford to hold off her marker before emphatically firing past the keeper.
We have to commend Rubery Ladies fighting spirit as they never gave up running and trying to close down Gornal players all over the pitch.
