Following a month without competitive football with games cancelled through flooded pitches and the festive season Gornals home game was transferred to the 3G pitch at the Portway leisure centre to ensure that the game was played. Three of four new signings were in the squad for the game with Jennings and Williams starting.
Gornal pressed quickly straight from the kick off with Katie Moore winning the ball and fouled in the process producing a free kick on the edge of Bilbrooks penalty area. The ball was played in by Arrowsmith with Letford just failing to get her head to it. Gornal kept the ball in the danger area working it down the left side and played back into the middle for Arrowsmiths diagonal ball through to Moore who was judged to be offside.
More pressure came as Moore collected the free kick and played a cross field pass to Jennings who controlled the ball but was dispossessed by the covering defender.
Bilbrook looked to use the pace of their front two to try to get behind the Gornal defence but were well marshalled by the Gornal back four. A first attempt on goal for Bilbrook came when they worked the ball into a central position from a thro in but the shot from the Bilbrook number 9 from just outside the box was well wide.
From the resulting goal kick Worrall-Nelson picked up the loose ball and played into Jennings in midfield, laying off to Hamill Moss who played a diagonal Crossfield pass behind the defence to Moore but the covering defender recovered to put the ball behind for a corner. Bilbrook defended the corner well heading back out to Moore who took it round one defender but shot into the side netting.
A quick break down the Bilbrook right and cross into the centre released the Bilbrook No 7 but Gemma Hamill-Moss managed to get across to cover and played the ball out for a Bilbrook corner.
On 15 minutes Letford tried a speculative half volley from just inside the halfway line which the Bilbrook keeper collected comfortably.
The keeper put the ball straight out and from the resulting throw in there was some nice interplay between Moore and Sarah Hamill-Moss before Moore collected the ball on the edge of the area, went past two players and slotted the ball into the corner of the net.
From the kick off Williams fed the ball into Letford who turned her marker and was about to pull the trigger when the Bilbrook No 8 made a saving slide tackle.
On 22 minutes a long ball out from the Bilbrook left back released the excellent Bilbrook forward line but Gornal keeper Hutchinson was alive to the danger and cleared the ball.
Two minutes later Gornal had a let off as the Bilbrook forward managed to get across keeper Hutchinson but was unfortunate to see the ball rebound from the post and Gornal cleared the danger.
On 23 minutes Gemma Hamill-Moss seized on a poor goal kick slotting the ball into Jennings who turned inside her defender before finishing left footed into the top corner.
On 32 Gornal gave the ball away twice needlessly in their half with the second time resulting in a through ball which the excellent Bilbrook No 11 ran onto escaping the despairing sliding tackle and finishing well into the top right hand corner.
The goal picked up Bilbrook who started to press higher up the field and chase down balls.
A surging run from fullback Dionne Mckee produced a corner from which Letford rose highest to head into the top corner.
The half finished with Gornal having had the majority of the possession but Bilbrook were creating chances by using their forwards pace well.
The second half started brightly but Bilbrook pulled a goal back within 3 minutes as the Gornal defence switched off. A quick throw was played down the right wing. Bilbrook crossed the ball into their No 7 whose initial shot hit the back of Gornal defender but the No 7 recovered first to place the ball in the bottom corner.
Gornals fourth goal came courtesy of another poor goal kick which was picked up by Williams. She played a delightful through ball to put Letford in on goal but was taken down with a tackle from behind.
Arrowsmith calmly stepped up and converted the penalty.
Gornals final goal came from an Arrowsmith corner which Letford rose to but just failed to get her head to it and Gemma Hamill-Moss stole in behind to convert.
The game continued in much the same vein with Gornal looking much more comfortable at the back with the introduction of Dominique Mckee who stifled any Bilbrook threat whilst providing a platform for Gornal to continue attacking but no further goals were scored.