A month has passed since we last caught up with Club Captain Becky Lyon about the goings on at Gills Ladies.

In the latest edition of her blog we reflect on a month that saw the Gills win 2 and lose 2 and exit the League Cup.

The Charlton game in the League Cup was a strange game in that we didn’t play well but won the game.

In training we are all doing the things that we should be, but at the moment we don’t seem to be taking it into games. We need to work together as a team and I think at the moment that is part of the problem we are not.

Everyone needs to come together and I think that is because we aren’t used to losing games and for it to be this difficult. This is where we have got to prove what a good team we are and that we can win these games and at Charlton we did the right thing and at the end everyone came together as a team and managed to score two goals.

We can’t leave it that late to be winning games though and in the Brighton game carried that form into the game.

Everyone played very well and that is definitely a knock on from the Charlton game and the fact that we picked ourselves up and played together as a team. We made a lot of changes but it obviously worked, to be on the bench and the players that were on the bench it was disappointing but all the time Ian is making choices like that and we are getting results it is fine.

People will take that on the chin if we are getting results, and will get on with it. Against QPR the first half of the game, we gave them an early goal and it was probably the most disappointing game that I have played in.

The ball bounced, we didn’t pick it up and we let them have it, but we were all over them and were literally running rings around them. Dan Carlton was fantastic and Jodie Mugford was brilliant and it didn’t happen for us but we made some changes in the second half and it didn’t quite work.

It isn’t down to Ian’s changes it is down to the girls coming together as a team, it didn’t work and players got frustrated. We snapped at chances we shouldn’t have and we should have been more composed with and that is what carried us through last season that we were composed and came together as a team.

That is what we need to bring back because we are only going to win games by bringing that back into the team.

Ian has said it, it really isn’t a crisis and we aren’t losing game after game. We have had some difficult games and yes we should have won the QPR game and that is probably one of the most disappointing games I have ever played in.

Against Nottingham Forest we were the underdogs and yes they won the game but 5-0 is a little big flattering for them. We are missing key players Ash, Jodie Mugford, Jonesy and I think defensively we played very well.

In the first half we pushed on and pressed hard in the second half towards the end of it, people got tired and stopped doing their jobs. We brought some fresh legs on which worked as Amy and Izzy played really well.

I think the more experienced players in the team; we need to keep the games together because we shouldn’t be losing 5-0 to a team of that calibre. They were a good side but they had nothing special and they didn’t have anyone amazing in the team and when you look at the players we have got on paper we should be competing with teams like that.

In the first half we could have beaten them but in the second half we let them play and if you let them play then they are going to win. They have five chances and five goals, where as we had probably three or four shots and no goals.

That is no disrespect to anyone because we are all working hard and everyone is trying to do the right things, but we just need to be that bit more clinical sometimes. We need to shoot a bit earlier, it is easy for me to say that as a defender but all over the pitch we could have played a bit better.

We can now scrap that result and move on from it and we need to get back to training and work hard and we do work hard. We are doing the right things and working on the right things it is a case of taking that forward. We have Cardiff at home now as well as West Ham and we should get results from both of them and I expect to get results from them.

Once we win a few games we are going to be right back up there and Ian is right this League won’t be won until a month before the end of the season. It is all about winning games now, and if we do win games against Cardiff and West Ham we are right back up there again. We are then in with a chance again and confidence will be sky high and that is the main thing we are lacking confidence at the moment.

We last caught up with Club Captain Becky Lyon at the end of pre-season as she looked forward to the start of the new season.

With a month now gone in the new season we exclusively catch up with Bex for her latest blog on her first season in the Southern Premiership.

We played Arsenal in a prestigious friendly that saw a big crowd come in and we only lost 4-0 as well. You have got to take that score because they are the best team in Women’s football by far.

We made some money for the Club it was a good night for everyone and everyone enjoyed it and now we move forward.

We got a good crowd in and as Ian and Martin said it just goes to show how far we have come in such a short space of time. It shows how hard we have worked to get a team like Arsenal down to Kent on a Thursday evening with a lot of their strongest players; it just goes to show how far the Club has come.

We have had a bit of a shaky start to the season but I think everything will click into place and when we relax the football we play is phenomenal. That is what we need to concentrate on playing.

The first game against Charlton was a very shaky start although we won the game 1-0, but if we can play badly like that and win games during the season then we will be just fine.

The Millwall game even thought I was sitting out that game it was the best we had played for a long time.  I was gutted to miss out because to be part of playing the way they were would have been unreal and they deserved the point.

Portsmouth was a game that I sat out of and it was a great performance from the girls again, and it was frustrated that we didn’t come away with all three points. That said they are supposed to be the top team in the League and to come away from that with a point Ian and the girls were really pleased.

In the Brighton Cup game I am not sure what happened but we just didn’t click, it was a lovely pitch and a lovely day. It was perfect for us to play our football and we didn’t because we just didn’t turn up.

Against Colchester like the match report said that will never happen again and to be fair there wasn’t much she could do about it. She ran back with the ball and there was nothing she could do about it and things like that just don’t seem to be going our way.

It is up to us to change that and we are more than capable of turning it around and we need to work hard to do that.

From the start against Yeovil Ian said this is a must win game and we went out there with the right attitude and everyone was up for the game. The preparation was good the build up was brilliant and we went out there and played football, ok at first we were a bit slow to get going.

Once we started playing our football we were all over them but it was just one of them days where we had a couple of the post and the keeper made absolutely world class saves. It is frustrating but you cannot blame it on luck, it is something that we have to change and something that we have to work on.

We are shooting on goal when we need to, it is just about taking our chances and we are trying, we really are and everyone across the park is working so hard. You can see how gutted everyone is to lose and we deserved to beat Yeovil.

We seem to have got quite a good chemistry at the back and it seems to be working quite well. Stacey is doing really well because she always has tough games because the wingers in this League are so fast but she is doing really well against them.

Jonesy has kind of brought a new level in and she is very composed and she has so much experience so it is great to have her and for Lauren as well. It works really well and we have a good balance at the back now with a good chemistry.

The Spirit among the players is still high and the banter is as quality as it has ever been, it is what has got the new girls accepted and it is half the reason that Sarah Jones has joined the Club. In training it is so much fun and everyone is having a laugh.

It is now back to the training ground as we work hard on our game ready for Sunday when we play Charlton in the League Cup.

It has been a long time since we caught up with Club Captain Becky Lyon, and a lot has happened since the end of last season.

In the first instalment of the new season we catch up with Bex to get her thoughts on pre-season, the new signings and her thoughts on the coming season.

Pre-season has been hard training wise but obviously we needed to do it, and I think everyone is buzzing going into the first game of the season.

Normally you go into the first game with a bit of dread don’t you but everyone is buzzing at the moment and that is what we have been looking for.

In terms of the games we have played in pre-season, against Watford we should have beaten them by three or four goals in the end, we were lucky not to walk away from the game with a win.

Again I think it just shows our fitness and against Enfield in the last twenty minutes that was when we absolutely battered them. I think the pre-season stuff is showing results now and hopefully we can take that forward into the season.

The game against Millwall was our first massive test and I think we matched them; the only thing was they scored at the end after we had made three or four changes. Our fitness in that game shone again completely. At the end we were still really fit, we were still pushing forward and we were still creating chances and that is down to how hard we have worked in pre-season.

To come away with a draw from the game against Watford is a good result, as we were going into the game as the underdogs. Going into this season everyone is very confident and we are confident we can finish up there in the table.

We are confident because of the work we have put in and how hard we have worked in the pre-season sessions, we are coming away after each session feeling shattered – that is perfect and exactly what we need.

We haven’t done fitness every night, and we are starting now to work more on shape and formations whilst playing football. It has worked really well, we have done all the fitness and now we are working on what to do in game situations.

The fitness work was a big shock and we went into it with our eyes open, we were aware of the level we needed to be at. I think especially for me, Les, Whitney and AJ it was a case of can we get there, we all wanted to be in that first team and it was a case of needing to make that step up.

With the players coming in and the level we are at now we needed to make that step up and we needed to make sure we were ahead of everyone else for Ian to still pick us.  We have worked hard if not harder than anyone because they have always had decent pre-seasons and we have never had one really.

I am not going to lie it has absolutely killed us, but I feel confident AJ is feeling confident and Les is feeling confident, we have taken the step up and that is what we needed to do.

I will be massively proud come Sunday, I said at the end of last season that it was a dream come true and again this season.

The girls that have come in have fitted in so well and taken Gills to their hearts so to speak, especially coming from Clubs they have been at for years.  To come into the Club and be part of the Club and not just play for the team, it really makes me proud.

It is good to see like the Millwall girls they have been at Millwall for years, they owe Millwall a lot and no disrespect to them they have had to take the step up and move on and they have taken Gills to their hearts.

I am massively proud of all the girls and how they have all come together and created a team out of single individual players, I am really pleased about it.

I think it helps with the girls that are already there and those that were new last season like Nat and Ash. We became such a close team last season the players that have come in it has shown them that even though you haven’t played for the Gills for five years you can still be part of the team.

Becky Lyon goes in for the challenge

It is a credit to the girls and the team spirit that there is, there is great banter in training which is what I think it is all about. It is good to get everyone involved and not to outcast them for being new and from a different Club. It is about bringing everyone together and creating that team spirit.

We are looking for a win on Sunday and I am quietly confident that we are going to get the win, and I have the confidence in every single one of our players. There is not one player in that team that I think is a weak link.

Every single one of them is a strong player and I think in the last few pre-season friendlies we have really come together as a team and started to play good football as a team.  We are definitely looking for a win and won’t accept anything less.

We are going to be looking for a win in every single game this season, and we are going to continue to work hard fitness wise in training. We are looking to finish up there in the League, we are not going to get complacent, and we aren’t going to assume that it will fall at our feet.  We know we need to work hard for it and that is exactly what we are going to do.

It is fair to say that Captain Becky Lyon has lived her dream this season, winning the League and Kent Cup.

In the final instalment of the season Bex takes a look back at the most successful season in Gills Ladies history.

Against Norwich in the final game of the season we didn’t start the best and they put us under a lot of pressure.  I think they were probably buzzing from the League Cup win over us. I think they thought that we were going to be a walk over, but once we settled down and got in our stride that proved why we won the League by as many points as we did.

We definitely wanted to go out on a high when we played Norwich and go out knowing that no team has beaten us twice this season. If Norwich had beaten us again they would have been the only team to have done it, and I didn’t want to finish the League season knowing that had happened.

Ian has been great this season, some teams think he is cocky and that he screams and shouts too much on the side of the pitch. He will only shout when he is at the side of the pitch because he has to, he does it because he knows how to get us going. It is what a good manager does and they know how to do it properly.

He gets the girls going and it is part and parcel of Ian’s job and it is part of my role on the pitch as well. Ian will shout things to me and I will put them across to the girls and I take onboard what Ian says and then say it to the girls as it will help us.  We work hand in hand as he is the voice on the side and I am the voice on the pitch.

I am very vocal when I am playing and it is a good thing for me and a good thing for the girls as it keeps me switched on and focussed.  It is a bit of a confidence boost for Ian as well having me on the pitch to do the talking as we can be quite quiet at times.

Looking back on the season I don’t think we could have had a better season, obviously we had a few hick ups here and there but it has been an absolutely brilliant season.  I cannot fault any of the girls or even Ian and Martin, everything they have done has been spot on.  I have enjoyed every single minute of it.

Looking back to when we started the season in August it feels like an absolute lifetime ago, bringing all those new faces in everyone is a bit wary of it but every single new face that has come in has fitted in really well.

All the girls have welcomed everybody in and there is a great team spirit there, everyone got involved and that is what we are all about, making it a club and not just a team that plays on a Sunday.

At the start of the season there were a few of us who we knew had to step up our games. I knew that Aj would be fine.  Les and I were a bit wary of what was going to happen and we just stepped our game up a bit and we worked hard trained hard and worked on what we weren’t so good at.

I think that Les has been outstanding to go from the centre of midfield to left back, I think she has been outstanding and definitely one of the best players at the club. She puts in a great performance week in week out and that is what we have all had to do step up our game to the next level.

Going forward to next season we all know we have to step it up again, and we probably have to step it up another 5 or 6 notches for next season now.  Everybody needs to their own fitness work leading up to pre-season and hopefully they will do that.

We want to go out there next season hitting the ground running with no injuries because we are doing things properly in pre-season. We want to go out there knowing that we are in with a really good chance.

With the new players coming in and the players that we already have we can hit the ground running and be four or five steps ahead of everyone already. Everyone is going to expect us to be one hit wonders because we haven’t been in the League before and it is the first time we have won the South East Combination League for the first time and the pressure is going to be off of us.

We are not one hit wonders as it is a testament to Ian and Martin’s hard work and the effort that the girls put in to have won the League and the Kent Cup and also having been in the League Cup final.

Bex a few years older and wiser is ready to lead the Gills to glory.

We will be defending the Kent Cup for all its worth next season that is my little pride and joy that, I have always wanted to win that.  That is one trophy that I want to hold on to and I want our name on there for the next however many years.

I have to say well done to the Reserve team for winning their League as well, they did it the hard way as well. They struggled for numbers and you have people like Terri Reynolds who left part way through the season but came back and that just shows her love for the club. She deserves a big thumbs up for that as not many people would come back and do what she did.

Everyone has stuck it out in the Reserves and they have played really well and those that do stay next season will be really pleased with the level of football that they are going to be playing.

Next season as a club we are going to have better facilities and a better regime and it will be more professional with everyone knowing what they are doing.

The pre-season fixtures are coming together and we need as many as we can because you can do so much in training but people need game time. It also gives Ian a chance to look at new people and try different things as well.

I still can’t believe that we are League Champions. In the first half against Norwich Ian said go out there and get the early goal and that is exactly what we did. We sat back off them a little bit but I think first half we were all over them.

AJ on the wing i thought was amazing, every single time she had the beating of that left back but on the balance of play we deserved it. We gave away a lead but we knew we only needed a draw which I think was at the back of our minds, but we got the job done and we are now the champions, and two out of three isn’t bad.

At two-nil i thought we were going to start banging them away then, but we just sat off them a little bit and I don’t know why. We missed a lot of chances and I think everyone knowing that we only needed a draw was definitely at the back of everyone’s minds for certain.

Everyone worked hard and everyone really wanted it and that is why we have got it but it could have been very different. I think if the referee played any more extra time than he already did I think it would have been different.

I think Norwich may have come with the wrong attitude as they are fifth and on their day nowhere near us on our day when we play as good as we know we are. I think we sort of proved that I know they got two goals but I think towards the end we got a little bit nervous and started to panic a bit.

If we had just put our foot on the ball and played it simple but that is something that having Ash back as well will settle us all down a bit more. It was nice to have everyone there as well and the Reserves have a good chance of winning their League as well which would be immense. It could be happy days all-round.

Martins face when we done it, i looked straight over and he was so happy but everyone is really chuffed.

We made a lot of changes for the Fleet game as it gave a few people a rest for the cup final on Sunday. It gave people that are normally on the bench like Nell and Chabs the chance to get more game time under their belts after stepping in to help the Reserves our over the weekend too.

They had the chance to show Ian what they can do and they deserved that chance to show him what they are about. They have been with us throughout the whole season so they got the chance to show just what they can do.

The treble is still on but I don’t think it has sunk in yet still that we have won the League, I just can’t believe it. I am so so happy about it and I still can’t believe we let the lead go against Norwich I really can’t.
The feeling of knowing that we have done it is amazing, at half time me and Whit walked back out absolutely praying that we could hold onto it. When Amy scored that goal I thought that is it, we have done it. As they started getting back into it panic started to set in, we were just throwing everything we had at it in the end.

Rachel that challenge she did at the end she clearly won the ball and even the Lino was saying it so how the ref gave that I do not know. We have done it now and it is pointless with if buts or maybes we got the result we messed it up against Spurs and fixed it against Norwich.

When Martin and Ian said at the beginning of the season this is what we are going to win I was like alright, and you get your hopes up a little bit but it is all coming together. I don’t know how to react and I am not sure what to do with myself but it is really really good.

Going up to the next level the pitches will be of a higher standard and we will be able to play our football as well. Like when we went to Brighton the way we played was unreal and hopefully by getting some new players in as well next season I can see us right up there.

In the latest instalment of Captain’s Blog Becky Lyon brings us up to date with her views on the win against Ipswich and the defeat against Spurs on Sunday.

We went one-nil down against Ipswich and I don’t know what it was but I think we were all a bit tired and it was the first game that we have started without Ash. So I think everyone was a bit wary of it but we had Dea back so that was a big help.

We managed to get a result I just think it took a while to get going but once we did get going we were ok. Again the wind and the weather weren’t that much of a help to us on Sunday. We haven’t had much luck with the weather really but we got the job done.

To get three points out of it was immense, because I think first half everybody was just going to settle for a draw if we could. At half time it was almost as if someone had died in the changing rooms it was awful.

Everyone was really down yeah but Ian got the girls going and everyone had their little say and stuck their two pence worth in and went out there like a different team. Everyone worked hard because we knew we had to win that game.

I think everyone was really sluggish and still buzzing from the Kent Cup final and we had worked hard for the win on Thursday night. Sometimes I think as I said to the girls in the changing room that we have had so many wins just handed to us and smashed teams that we may have forgotten how to go out there and beat teams now.

Teams that attack us at the moment we are struggling a bit with as we are used to teams just sitting back and letting us run at them. We had Tuesday night off and we trained Thursday and we went to Spurs hoping to get the win.

Spurs are almost like a bogey team for us, they have some good players and they have signed some new ones as well.

I think everyone went out there with the wrong attitude they thought it was either going to fall at our feet or we were going to lose.

Nobody had it in their head that they had to graft for it and we just didn’t want the result. It is frustrating but nobody across the park can say that they put everything in there. I can’t say that i did and no one out there can say that they did.

It is such a big loss losing Ash and I think that it has thrown everyone out but we have people who can still finish. We have got Nat, we have Dea and you have Danni and Jodie. It is just going to take a little bit of getting used to.

Everyone just needs to stop relying on other people to do it and just go out there and get the job done, everyone needs to give a 110%. This is what the whole season has been working towards and everyone is going to be well up for the game.

The Kent Cup final was brilliant and every day I am still texting Whit I just can’t believe it. What a feeling winning that trophy and for Martin and Ian and everyone it was just well worth it and it was just brilliant.

Everything is sort of coming together now towards the end of the season, everything that Martin and Ian said at the beginning is happening and it is a really good feeling.

On May 2nd we have the League Cup final and because we have to play them three times in the next few weeks, it would be nice going into the League games with the pressure off. Then we can apply ourselves for the League Cup.

Not that we are going to finish the season by losing all our games, we are still going to go out in style but it takes that pressure off and everyone can enjoy their football then.

Captain Becky Lyon was devastated not to have closed out the League title this weekend with her side.

It was especially gutting for Becky because her side just didn’t perform on the afternoon and put in one of their poorest performances of the season.

Talking after the game, she said: “It would have been a completely different game if Farms header had gone in and we had a couple of shouts for a penalty.

“One of them was a bit dubious but one of them without a doubt was a penalty. It is things like this that we have to pick ourselves up from and move forward with.

“We have Norwich at home next and we know that if we beat them then we have done it, we didn’t want to have to do it that way but it looks like we are going to have to. We have to do the job there and we can go away happy people.

“We have got chances to win it but the team we are and the way we have been playing we should have to do that. We shouldn’t have left it and should have got the job done today. All credit to Spurs they did play well but they are no match for us on our day when we do play well.

There was a distinct lack of communication out there on the field at times and the Captain thinks that is because of the pressure of knowing what they have to do.

She added: “I think it is down to people knowing that we only need two points and everyone is a bit like well we will get it and Ian said we need to change our attitude.

“We are going to have to work for it now; it isn’t just going to fall at our feet, and the girls now know that Sunday is a massive game. We will look forward to Sunday and train hard this week and get the job done, we cannot afford to mess around anymore.

“On a good day we can beat any team in this League and we have shown that but every team has their off days. It just seems at the moment as though we are having a bit of an off run but we will pick it up and do what we need to do.”

The Gills have only lost twice in the League now this season, but it came at the worst possible time for them in the season.

“It is a shame that it had to happen today that we lost again, everyone knew today was going to be tough and we went out with the wrong attitude, we deserved to lose.

“In the first half we weren’t that good and in the second half we were just awful, across every position and though we had injuries it was no excuse. It was a lovely small pitch to play on and we could have easily put four or five past them on our day.

“It was a small pitch but it was a nice surface to play on and we have had excuse after excuse about bumpy pitches over recent weeks. We had a pitch there today that would have suited our game and we just had the wrong mindset.

“We look forward to next week now and play against Norwich how we know we can; I can see us winning well against them after we have been on such an awful run.”

Last night was proof that dreams really can come true for Gills Ladies Captain Becky Lyon as she lifted the Kent Cup for the second time.

It capped a fairytale season for the Ladies skipper as she scored the winning goal, and is one of just two players who played the last time they lifted the trophy.

Talking about the victory the delighted captain said: “Nine years after we last one the Kent Cup Final, I tell you what though all the girls deserved that today.

“I said to the girls at the beginning of the game that it is not just going to fall at us, we had to put everything we had got and you cannot fault them. Every single player on that pitch put in everything that they have got and we really deserved it.”

Bex grabbed the winning goal but she was quick to praise her team mates who created the opportunity for her to score.

She added: “To be fair Rachel and Laura did all the hard work and it kind of just hit me but I will take the goal. You have to be in it to win it and to be credited with the goal is even better.

“I am amazed by it and I am so happy right now, at the beginning they put us under a lot of pressure and we proved what a good team we are.”

As soon as team mate Ashlee Hincks went off injured the team instantly rallied together to win it for her.

She said: “As soon as Ash went off and we went into the changing rooms at half time we said that we had to win it for her. She has played such a massive part in our success this season.

“Nat worked her backside off against Millwall, I think if Ash was with her as well those two together would have been a nightmare. I would hate to have been playing against them, and I think we would have won a lot more comfortably. Nat did her job up there and all credit to Ash she has done it the whole way through and we did it for her.”

As the game came to a close the Gills were put under an enormous amount of pressure at the back but Becky and her defence stood firm.

Talking about that pressure, she added: “They really wanted it as much as what we did but it just proves that we wanted it that bit more.

“They put us under a lot of pressure at the end and we played about nine minutes extra time when we are meant to play three. We held out did our jobs and got the win so happy days.
“It is the first time that we have won the cup in nine years and we deserve it thought. Martin and Ian and everybody at the club we all deserve it. Not just the players that have played tonight but the club as a whole.

“As a club we need to push on now that is just the first of three. We have got the League which can be won in the next couple of games. Then we have the League Cup in May and everyone is buzzing right now they want it so much.”

Becky Lyon has had an eventful few weeks as Gills Captain and in the latest instalment of Captain’s blog she reflects on all the happenings at Gills Ladies.

Since the last piece the Gills have had a number of games postponed, made a cup final and are in line to make another.

 Starting with the Kent Cup Quarter Final against Ashford Becky reflects on just how good it was to get back playing football again. “We hadn’t played for about three weeks again, and it was a bit strange for us because we were all in tiny little changing rooms. We had no room at all and we even had people sitting on top of the kit bag. We just battered them for the whole game really; they didn’t get a look in at all in the game. The thing is when you play a team lower than us you would think we would drop our standards but we didn’t and from the score line you can tell we absolutely run rings around them. It is a shame that Jac who used to play for us, she fractured her ankle, she is a really good player. She went from the Gills to Ashford because she just wanted to play football, now that has happened. Hopefully she will make a full recovery and get back into it again but I can’t see it happening.

 Their goal was just awful though, she swung at it and it was the only thing that Kate had to do. She had absolutely no chance bless her; there was no way that she could get that. It was freezing as well, the wind was just blowing all over the place because it was an open field, and we did the job and won 15-1. To be honest I am gutted that it is 15-1 because that one just means we haven’t kept a clean sheet and that annoys me, but there was nothing we could do about it. It was just one of those fluke goals really. We all worked really hard and the way we played we played as if it was somebody that we were playing in our own League. Everybody did their bit and nobody was sloppy, and it was Danni’s first game back and she got ninety

Bex in action against Ebbsfleet Utd

minutes. Rachel got the chance to play a full game properly and it also gave Kel the chance to have a rest and Laura East was back in, and it was good to have her back in.”

Just one week later and the Ladies took on rivals Enfield to try and avenge last season’s League Cup semi final defeat. Talking about the fact that they didn’t need to get out of second gear to overcome their opponents the Captain was clearly delighted about reaching the Cup final. “They had about five or ten minutes when we started where they had a little bit of pressure on us, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Honestly it was the flattest game that I have ever played in, and out of the whole of this season it was the flattest game we have played in. It was such a slow game, nobody really needed to get out of second gear and push themselves. In the second half they came out a little bit quicker. As soon as they equalised they seemed to be content to sit back and defend a draw yet we were really going for it.

 Nat was missing and Ash was playing up front, and everyone was a little bit out of position but again everyone played really well. Aj on the wing was immense as always, I honestly don’t know where she gets her energy from; she has just been consistently brilliant. On Sunday she was the play maker for everything. In the second half as well Ash’s work rate was unreal she was chasing absolutely everything and doing what Nat would have done. Danni got another ninety minutes and the defence were outstanding as always. The thing is as well, I remember the last trophy that the Gills ever won as well, and it is only me and Laura East who are still here. It was the League Cup final that we played in, I can’t remember who we played against (Ed’s note it was Stowmarket) but it went to penalties and everything it was immense.

Bex goes in where it hurts against Cambridge

It has been eight years since we were in a Cup final it is crazy; I just can’t wait to lead them out on cup final day. At the beginning of the season, I would chat about to Les, Ash and Aj and be saying that if we were to win the League, Kent Cup or League Cup and even now just to think about it; I get a massive grin on my face. It is all I have ever wanted for the Club and all I ever wanted for the Girls, so it makes me a very happy girl.

I have no doubt on Sunday that we will get the win over Dartford and reach the Kent Cup final. Ian won’t play it safe but he will put his best team out as he always does and get a result.

This week I’m going to fill you in on this weekend’s match – or should I say, swimming gala!

In all honesty I didn’t think Sunday’s match would go ahead. On our way to the match the heavens opened and we were all waiting for the call to tell us to turn around because the game is off but the call never came. Even up to 1:30pm we weren’t completely sure that the game would actually go ahead. It took some unusual measures to get the game on, as people were helping to dry out the pitch…with towels!

After a quick warm up the game was on – coin flipped, whistle blown. Enter the groundsmen, demanding the game didn’t go ahead. The referee then took the bold decision to ignore them!

With the game finally underway, the first 15 minutes saw Enfield put the pressure on us. It was really hammering down and we couldn’t get hold of the ball. It all started very sloppy, I think Enfield must have had around six corners in the first 10 minutes.

The girls worked hard and we cleared everything then, against the run of play, Farms managed to score a screamer even though she was carrying a small poodle on her head. (Farms’ hair + rain = poodle head!)

Enfield were still attacking, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle

Laura East made a great challenge on the six-yard box, denying Enfield an almost certain goal.

The second goal came from another trademark shot from Dan that the Enfield keeper got a hand to, but Nat followed it in for a simple but vital second goal. To much relief on both sides the rain had eased off by halftime.

The second half got underway with a few changes made by Enfield. They tried to outrun us with some pace up front but our well-organised defence had everything under control

Dee had to go off early in the second half as she took a knock to her ankle but the beauty of having a big squad is that we have quality on the bench. On came Anna Broad, who got stuck in straight away, giving the Enfield midfielders no time on the ball.

Enfield pushed and pushed but were unable to break through our defence. The girls worked so hard for each other, knowing that any lapse in concentration would give Enfield the chance to get back into the game.

We kept the pressure on and Ash was rewarded for her hard work by intercepting a backpass from an Enfield defender then coolly taking it round the keeper and slotting it home to make it 3-0.

Ian made one last change by replacing AJ for Chabs. The game was far from over – Enfield were still working hard to get back into the game but the girls stood their ground and could almost taste the Third Round!

The final whistle couldn’t come soon enough and there we are, in Round Three of The FA Women’s Cup. It was a well-deserved win and an all-round great performance. Job done!