Chloe Winchester making her maiden start in 2024-25 was the only change to the team that fought so valiantly at Lewes in the League Cup. Katie Cooper returned to the bench where she was accompanied by another first-timer, Elle Keegan following her recovery from injury. Becs Bell, Georgia Tibble, Lauren Dolbear, Jess Richardson, Lauren Amerena and long-term ACL victim Hayley Bridge were all missing from a squad that illustrates great strength in depth.

Both sides are new to the South West Division this term but it was the visitors who made the brighter beginning to proceedings. Setting up camp in the home half for long spells, the two Dan’s combined after only six minutes. Captain Rowe sent over a deep free-kick from the inside-left channel that Lane got a firm head on, to force an equally strong save out of Sports ‘keeper Sam Chrippes at the expense of a corner. The subsequent set-piece caused further concern when it was played back in by Lane and punched clear as far as Winchester by the busy Chrippes, though Winch’s outside-the-area effort dropped just wide of the target.

Continuing to pepper the host’s goal, Rowe crossed from the right this time, leading to a scrimmage in the six yard box that eventually resulted in Katie Kingshott clearing off the line from Sammy Quayle. Once again, Winchester was denied by the charismatic Chrippes who brilliantly palmed the striker’s latest shot over the crossbar.

While that particular flag-kick created chaos, Izzy Franklin took another that found Lane in the danger zone for a blocked attempt, before the number ten had the presence of mind to lay the ball back to fellow Summer signing Holly Talbut-Smith to drill a low shot just the wrong side of the post.

Despite enjoying the bulk of both territory and possession, the BS goal led far less of a charmed life until the half-hour mark. Twinkletoes Winchester, always a threat, let fly with a whistler that flashed across the face, after some excellent hold-up and approach play by Sophie Humphrey.

Five minutes from the interval, the afternoon’s action very nearly had a different complexion when home appeals for handball in the penalty area, ultimately, fell on deaf ears. Failing to be distracted by the calls for a spot-kick, the Rebels immediately counter-attacked. Tierney Scott eventually slipped in Quayle, only for Sammy to become the latest person in a red shirt to suffer frustration at the hands of Chrippes, having to settle for a corner.

In the end though, Super Sammy and ‘T’ had the last word, literally, of the first-half. Putting pressure on Bournemouth’s attempts at playing out from the back, a rare error of judgement by the otherwise unflappable Chrippes saw Quayle’s harrying payoff and cause a misplaced pass to go straight to teammate Scott, who made no mistake when presented with the gift of an unguarded net.

The lead was almost doubled during the opening exchanges of the second period. Franklin swung a dead ball in from a flag-kick, into a crowded eighteen yard box that finally found a route out to Skipper Dan and produced a close-call via the right boot of Rowe, a smidging outside it.

However, strike two did arrive shortly afterwards, courtesy of the dogged determination of Winchester. A cross-cum-shot from deep sailed over the head of the unfortunate Chrippes
to put the guests two goals to the good.

Although, just when the Reds started to look a bit more comfortable, with the cushion of an extra goal to sit on, they soon experienced significant discomfort. A quick free-kick, taken by Sophie Lerigo, left Captain Hollie Shaw in the clear and travelling custodian Libby Kingshott stranded in no woman’s land; cursing a twenty yard-plus chip that she could only watch fly over her and drop into the empty target behind.

Normal service soon resumed though, as Emily Linscer, in a more familiar forward role, drew the latest in an increasingly long line of fine saves out of Chrippes as she got down low to tip a close-ranger around the upright.

It would be half-time change Cooper who would restore the gap between the two competing clubs, less than sixty seconds later. Spotting Chrippes off her line, Katie pulled off one of her famous long-range efforts to beat the netminder all-ends-up; casually but accurately drifting a strike over Chrippes and under the bar.

Sports weren’t about to take that lying down though and, up the other end, Kingshott stood tall to get crucial fingertips to prevent the clean-through Shaw from profiting on a second occasion.

Substitute Amelia Davies came close to helping seal victory, in the dying embers of an intriguing affair, thanks to her quick thinking at a throw-in. Launching it into Winchester for a blocked shot that she knocked back to a loitering Lane, Dani couldn’t quite get a clean connection and ended up shanking past the post, just outside the penalty area.

Finally, Quayle played a slide-rule pass down the left wing for Humphrey to latch onto and break into the box; Chrippes slid out smartly but the near-side assistant referee showed similar rapid reactions; by raising his flag for an offside decision that rendered the move irrelevant in any case and maximum points were soon on their way back down the A350 towards Worthing.