It was an end-to-end start, with both teams having early chances but Rugby Borough took the lead just after the 10-minute mark as Mai Moncaster bundled the ball into the net.

However, Sporting reacted well and netted a deserved equaliser midway through the half.
Maja Szymkowiak managed to snatch the ball off the opposition defender and looped it over the goalkeeper from outside the box. A stunning goal!

Sporting continued to mount the pressure after the equaliser and were pushing Rugby further and further back.

Towards the end of the first half, Rugby came back into the game and saw an effort fly wide of the post just before the whistle.

Second half

Rugby started the second half the better and retook their lead five minutes in. A free-kick deflected to Yasmin Mosby who curled the ball into the net.

The visitors then continued to pressure the Mulligan’s side, searching for a two-goal cushion but Sporting were holding strong.

Rugby then got their third 64 minutes in, as Mosby pounced on a loose ball to tap home.

Five minutes later, Nicky Potts added the visitor’s fourth as a glancing header hit the underside of the bar and was adjudged to have gone over the line by the referee.

Rugby then made it 5-1 as Lily Greensdale tapped the ball into the net with just over 10 minutes to go.

Sporting attempted to pull a goal back late on as Annabel Davies saw a shot from distance go just wide before the match ended in defeat.

Andy Mulligan’s thoughts

“I thought it was a really good first-half performance,” Mulligan stated after the game. “It was a difficult one really, coming off a game where you have lost 5-1 but you are picking positives and you can see at the end there, the girls have given absolutely everything.

“That’s the main thing really against these teams that will be in the top four or five in this league and pushing. We are learning as we go along and that’s just from what we have seen.

“It’s difficult because you get punished and the momentum shifts in the second half with the mistake for the second goal, and then they just capitalise. Then it’s just kind of mercenary, and the adrenaline which is pushing some of the players on starts to diminish as you concede a couple more goals.

“You want to be in the game, you want to continue to chase like we did in the first half. We had good moments in that first half, and some really good set-piece opportunities. I think we had five corners and we put some outstanding deliveries into the box.

“We have got to capitalise on the right moments in their box because we know at some point, the opposition of that level will do the same to us and probably more effectively as they did in the second half.”

Despite the defeat, Mulligan saw positives in the performance, particularly in the first half.

“You have to focus on rationalising where we have come from, every week we are going to grow and learn and there are things that we are going to develop over the next weeks and months,” Mulligan added.

“We have identified the games where we are probably going to be more matched with some of the teams across this league. That doesn’t mean that we can’t pull results, it just means that we have to be absolutely exceptional and some of the teams at the top of this league have to have an off week.

“That is going to be few and far between from what I have seen so far just looking at some of the results from across the league, let alone the games we have been involved in.

“There is definite progress and that is the key bit, especially when you are losing football matches. You have got to look at the progress with the players. There are a few players that are late coming in.

“We did a bit of a roll call on how many players we recruited and if you are bringing in 15 players, it is going to be very difficult to get them to click straight away. We learnt that last season as there was quite a heavy recruitment and the backend of that season was remarkable how we got the girls to click.

“I do think this season will be similar. It will take time and there will be important moments in games where we need to defend better and they need to put the ball in the net.”

Our U23's kicked off the season in the determining round of the FAWNL Reserve Cup but narrowly lost 3-2 and now enter the plate competition.

Thank you for all your support at both games yesterday.