LICHFIELD made it three straight wins with a victory over Stratford.
The city side dominated the opening exchanges and were rewarded with a good goal from Josh Smith following a flowing move down the centre.
Despite being on top, Lichfield could only manage one score in the first half and were left hoping they wouldn’t rue missed chances.
The second period started with Stratford making use of a breakaway to get a short corner which they clinically converted to draw level.
This gave the city side a sharp reminder that possession doesn’t equal a win – and the team didn’t let them stay level for long as Adam Geldard got a crucial goal before Smith’s second put the game to bed.
Matt Cooper almost got a fourth to put the icing on the cake, but the ball hit the inside of the post and somehow stayed out.
Elsewhere, the ladies were on the road at Belper – and played out a battle from start to finish.
The hosts came out strong and grabbed two goals in the first half, but their visitors weren’t going down without a fight.
After a regroup at half-time, Lichfield came back out full of energy and determination. The hard work paid off when Phoebe Beaney coolly slotted one home to make it 2-1.
Momentum was building nicely until captain Amy Palmer was shown a questionable card. Despite the setback, the city women dug deep and kept battling until the final whistle.
But Belper wrapped up the win with a third late on to seal a 3-1 scoreline.
