The Pride made their first visit to the picturesque setting of Eyes Meadow at Duffield yesterday and got off to a good start with Hannah Robert’s goal after 7 minutes. Receiving a throw-in on the left wing, Daisy Bowen did well to keep the move alive despite pressure from two defenders and managed to slip the ball to Jasmin Sanghera, her short pass to Tash Allderidge was helped on a couple of yards to Hannah Roberts and her shot from 25 yards dipped over the ‘keeper. [0-1]

Duffield levelled six minutes later after their first attack resulted in a corner. An excellent delivery made the most of the wind and swung directly in. [1-1]

Pride created a series of chances, the best being Tash Allderidge’s shot from outside the area that just cleared the crossbar, and Daisy Bowen’s run and shot from the edge of the area that drifted just wide of the far post.

In a rare counter attack by Duffield a shot was well held by Jade Howell. Duffield were then gifted the lead on the half hour, when a pass back should really have been cleared upfield, but was instead played to Annie Laight who was being closed down - even before the ball took a wicked bounce up off the pitch - which allowed the Duffield striker to nip in and her shot was well struck inside the near post.

Loren Roberts was withdrawn just before half-time with an injury to her hand, and in considerable discomfort, requiring a reshuffle at the back.

There were no further chances of any real note for either side and at half time it remained 2-1 to the home team.

Despite having had most of the possession, some good patches of play and creating chances, there had also been sloppiness in possession and poor decision making - making things harder than they needed to be. The Pride started the second half showing more urgency and created a good chance in the opening minutes, when Beth Jones’ neat lay off put Daisy Bowen in but her shot was saved by the keeper’s foot.

There were further chances for Daisy Bowen (twice) and Hannah Roberts, and then Hannah Roberts’ header (possibly, it was difficult to tell whether it was a header or came off a defender) hit the outside of the post from Tash Allderidge’s corner. Just after the hour Beth Jones’ shot thundered against the crossbar and bounced down, and Aimee Healy-Raynor was inches away from reaching the rebound with her head.

There was a sense of a goal coming and, after 68 minutes…Duffield scored it, with their second shot of the half. Poor control in midfield gave away possession and with one ball forward the defence was caught flat footed and trailing in the striker’s wake. Although Jade Howell blocked the first shot the striker scored at the second attempt. [3-1]

The Pride’s Jekyll and Hyde nature was underlined from the the kick off, when Annie Laight played a good pass forward to Beth Jones, who took an excellent first touch into space before crashing her shot past the keeper. [3-2]

The Pride pushed hard for another goal - Beth Jones had a shot go wide, and Tash Allderidge had a shot well saved. The Pride won a corner on 86 minutes and Sophie Ayton rose well to send a header crashing against cross bar from 10 yards, the ball bounced down just in front of the goal line and Hannah Roberts had two efforts blocked by the keeper but found the net with her third to level the scores [3-3].

With two minutes of normal time left, Daisy Bowen almost pulled a winner out of the bag when she did well to get in between the defender and the ball, but her shot with the outside of her foot ran just wide of the post. Beth Jones had a couple of headers in added time but couldn’t quite get the connection she wanted with ether of them and so it ended all square [3-3].

There was a marked improvement from The Pride in the second half, in which they had the majority of possession in Duffield’s half and created plenty of chances. There should really have been a better return from their chances overall than three goals - hitting the frame of the goal three times, but sometimes trying just a little too hard and rushing as a result.

This was a strange game to try to summarise. It’s difficult to know whether to look on it as two points dropped, from the chances created, or a point gained after coming back from two goals down with twenty minutes to go (perhaps the latter, just!). In some ways it summed up the story of the season - plenty of possession and chances, a couple of good finishes but although good in spells, sloppiness in possession in dangerous areas and moments of indecision or poor decision making undermined the good things.

It would be a misrepresentation, however, to simply say it was a one sided game. Duffield had a game plan, they defended well and capitalised on their chances. It’s the second game in succession Pride Park’s opponents have recorded their highest return in the League - there’s a lesson in there somewhere.

Player of the Match was Hannah Roberts, with two goals - and was a whisker away from a third (or at least having a part in it) - capping a good performance in midfield.

There’s no game now until Amber Valley are the visitors to Moorways for the final game of the season on 4th May (ko 1.30pm).