A sunny winter’s afternoon set the scene for Morpeth’s second round cup match against Newcastle III. Rugby fever had hit a number of the players the night before, however luckily it was the same for the opposition. The start of the game saw Morpeth create many attacking opportunities and Newcastle struggled to get the ball out of their defending half. Carrie MacDonald made an excellent run into the circle from the left beating the keeper and putting in the back of the goal. Unfortunately the goal was disallowed as it had come off her foot before going in. Despite Morpeth’s possession in attack they were crowding the circle and giving the forwards little room to work in. They has many strikes on goal, however Newcastle’s keeper was comfortably saving and clearing all attempts on goal. Morpeth had a number of short corners in the first half and despite practice at training they were unable to convert any opportunities. The first goal came towards the end of the first half when the ball was crossed in from the right hand side finding Julie Fenwick on the left of the post who was able to put it past the keeper despite the awkward angle. The half time whistle followed shortly after. The second half started and the previous nights celebrations were becoming more apparent. A combination of silly mistakes and a few players out of position allowed Newcastle to gain more possession. Despite possession being evenly matched in the second half, Morpeth always looked the more likely to score. Newcastle went down to 10 players half way through the second half due to an injury which gave Morpeth more space to work in. Morpeth’s next break through came from a short corner late in the second half. Learning from the missed chances in the first half, Julie Fenwick dribbled the ball into the circle drawing the defenders, slipped the ball to Fiona Grant on the Left who comfortably put the ball past the keeper. The game finishes 2-0 to Morpeth keeping their clean sheet in tact. Julie Fenwick was awarded ‘man of the match’ for her contribution to the set up and execution of both goals.