Fareham Ladies began the second half of their South Central Premier Division 1 season with a 3-2 defeat in their local derby at Havant. The visitors had the better of the first half and deserved their half-time lead but they lost their way for periods in the second half as Havant stepped up their performance markedly and ultimately they were deserved winners despite a late Fareham fight back which looked to have salvaged a point.

Fareham came into the match without a win in their last five matches but having played well against some of the best teams in the division during that period. They were hoping to get back to winning ways with a repeat of their victory against the same opponents in the opening game of the season.

Havant began well in the opening five minutes and could have taken the lead when a shot from the left side was palmed onto the post and behind by Jilly Tovey in the Fareham goal.

However as the half progressed it was the away side who looked the more threatening as they pressed forward with Havant sat back defending their area. Alice Appleford set up a good chance with a run down the right and a cross to an unmarked Katie Paxman whose shot was parried by the keeper into the body of Hannah Ward for a penalty corner. Fareham came close again a few minutes later as Katie Paxman shot across goal from a penalty corner and Poppy Roddis deflected the ball narrowly wide.

Fareham finally opend the scoring in the final minute of the half from a swift attack including a quick exchange of passes between Katie Paxman and Lydia Jackson before Katie shot at goal. The keeper saved the initial effort but Poppy Roddis was on hand to volley in the rebound for her third league goal of the season.

We had looked the better side in the first half and deserved to be ahead. The hope was that we would pick up some confidence from the perfectly timed goal and extend our lead after the break. The opening few minutes were encouraging but, in a mirror image of the first half, this soon changed and it only took until the 41st minute before Havant were level. The ball was slipped left to Charlotte Gammon at a penalty corner and her cross shot was met by Sophie Forrest in front of goal to deflect the ball into the net.

The next 20 minutes became increasingly uncomfortable for Fareham. Havant attacked frequently and were particularly dangerous on the break, whilst they swarmed around the Fareham players in possession which created uncertainty and forced them into errors with their passing. With little seeming to work it seemed like the visitors lost confidence in their own game plan and it led to some unwise decisions which offered chances to the home side in good scoring positions.

Havant took a 2-1 lead in the 59th minute with a very well taken goal. A slick passing move down the right hand side ended with a cross to Charlotte Gammon who finished well.

Despite Fareham struggling to find their form at this point they did not give up and their play improved enough to offer the hope of an equalizer. It arrived with seven minutes left. Katie Paxman received the ball to the left of centre from a penalty corner and shot from the edge of the area just as a Havant defender attempted to tackle her. The ball came up off the defender's stick and looped over the keeper and just under the bar. The umpire initially signalled a free hit to Havant because the first shot from the corner was too high. However, after appeals from Fareham players and no shortage of advice from the visiting supporters, the umpires consulted and the goal was correctly awarded.

There was much relief that Fareham had drawn level and there was still time to try to snatch a win but unfortunately Havant regained the initiative as the visitors struggled to hold on and were forced into passing errors. A turnover just inside the Fareham half set up the chance for a Havant winner and resulted in a penalty corner. The reprieve was brief though as Fareham were subsequently unable to clear the ball from in front of goal and Maria Jefferson pounced to score the winning goal for Havant with three minutes remaining.

Havant's strong second half performance was deserving of the win but it was a disappointing Fareham loss. We played the better hockey in the first half and had the lead but we could not repeat it after the break and made too many errors.

We still have some good opportunities to pick up wins in the next few matches. We face a tough opponent next week as Oxford Hawks 2s visit Henry Cort (13.30). They are probably the best side we faced in the first half of the season when we lost 5-2 but in a game that was closer than the score suggests.