Fareham completed their season last Saturday by losing to the only goal at Basingstoke in a match in which they played well enough to win but once again found it a struggle to score when things were going their way. Following the vital win against Salisbury the previous week we found ourselves in a position where we were not quite safe from relegation but several results all had to go against us for that to happen. With results in the national league destined to decide how many sides would go down (one, two or three) we were already assured of finishing outside the bottom two positions. A win or a draw from this final match would have removed all doubt but we also knew that a narrow defeat would also probably be enough to keep us clear of trouble.

Squad numbers have improved in the final few games and Fareham had a full complement of sixteen players available for the last game. They almost got off to a perfect start with an opportunity in the opening minute when a pass from Eleanor Pybus created a chance for Kendra Druce but both her shot and Alice Appleford’s effort from the rebound were both saved by Eleanor Smith who pulled off a string of saves in the home goal.

Much of the play in the next few minutes was in midfield with neither side able to create an opening until Basingstoke took the lead out of the blue in the 9th minute. A long pass into the area picked up a deflection from JESSICA MOIR and this was enough to wrong-foot the Fareham defenders and keeper.

The remainder of the opening period saw no significant goalmouth action and the second quarter began much the same way until the 24th minute when Alicia Salter set up a chance for Issie Chapman on the edge of the ‘D’. Issie edged closer before a reverse shot across goal which did not miss the target by much. A minute later Lois Haigh’s shot was palmed away by the keeper from the visitors’ first penalty corner.

With three minutes remaining in the half another Issie Chapman shot from a tight angle was saved by the keeper. Fareham had looked the more likely side to score the next goal during the quarter but the half finished with the first PC of the match for Basingstoke. Ellie May’s shot was wide of the left post as the score remained 1-0 at half-time.

The visitors started the second half well, applying early pressure and winning two PCs in the first couple of minutes. They came close to an equaliser in the 40th minute when a cross from the right found Lois Haigh in the centre of the ‘D’ with the keeper for once out of position it looked like a goal would follow but a defender cleared Lois’s shot off the line.

Three minutes later another attack down the right led to an error in the Basingstoke defence and presented Summer Davis with a chance to score but the keeper made amends and saved the shot.

After the visitors early domination, the remainder of the quarter was fairly even. Unfortunately Fareham was unable to repeat the dominance of the two previous quarters and failed to create any solid chances in the fourth quarter as the home side had the better of the remaining opportunities.

A Basingstoke shot flashed across goal from a PC in the 58th minute and their best opportunity fell to them five minutes later. A cross came in from the right before Jessica Moir shot from close range and looked certain to score but Sophia Barclay did superbly to get down low to her right and turn the shot away. It was another good performance from the Fareham keeper who was playing despite feeling unwell.

Fareham tried a final push for the goal that would have guaranteed safety but despite winning two PCs in the final three minutes they could not make the pressure count and the game ended with the home side back in control. They also could not convert from either of their PCs in the final minute but nevertheless held on to win 1-0.

It had been a strange, almost surreal, game with some jeopardy but always the feeling that we would probably be OK. It did not take long after the final whistle before news came in from the first of the other results which affected us. Maidenhead had beaten already relegated Salisbury but the 3-2 margin was enough to guarantee our safety as they would have needed to score ten goals to climb above us in the league table.

With our position now secure we were able to sit back and wait for the other results. Amersham and Southampton both conjured up victories but only the former climbed out of the bottom three and with the national league results still to come Maidenhead (10th) and Southampton (11th) could still go down. However, events a level above us somehow created a situation which had seemed unlikely before the start of play. Marlow won to make themselves safe, which was not a surprise, but Slough also managed a great escape with a draw and a three goal defeat for Clifton Robinsons 2s at Trojans. As a result all four teams who were in jeopardy at the start of the day (including ourselves) survived and remain in the division next season and the only team to be relegated was Salisbury who already knew their fate before the day began.

That completes what has proved to be a tough season for us. We have faced many difficulties, including the loss of some of our army and navy players for most of (and in some cases the whole) season whilst three first team regulars were all unable to play any more matches after the first few weeks due to pregnancy.

With other availability issues for most of the campaign it has meant that the squad has changed regularly from week to week which has had an adverse impact on the effectiveness of the team and made it much harder to develop the usual levels of understanding and consistency. When we are at our best we are still one of the better teams in the division and there have been many occasions when we have played very well during games. However we have lost too many close matches, failing to take advantage and score enough goals when we have been the better side. Apart from our season in the national league, this season’s total of 27 league goals has been our lowest figure in the last fifteen years. It is one of the key areas where we will be aiming to improve as we start preparing for a more successful campaign next season.