Following Coundon Court's 3-0 win over Burton Albion earlier in the afternoon, Chris Gagg's side knew anything but a win would officially confirm their relegation from tier five back down to tier six. After a tough season last year, we narrowly escaped it by a margin of four points. This year, the season has seen far too much change and just a step too far. Changes within the management staff, change in a whole scenery of players - which hasn't helped the situation get any easier.

When Chris walked into the job in November, it was about laying the foundations for what is to come for the future, and trying his upmost best to turn the tide, try his upmost best to keep the team in the division - but ultimately, it was about stabilising the group after the damage done at the start of the year, and putting in plans to become more stable, more competitive for the future season(s) to come. The team so far may not been able to change the course or trajectory at which it is headed, but can know that they have laid the base of which to build from.

In the summer, we had 23 players leave the club, the entire team from last season all deciding to move onto pastures new. In came a whole new set of girls at the start of the campaign. From August through to the end of October, the team had only scored 1 goal across their first five league fixtures, and had lost every single one, conceding 21 goals in the process. The old manager had left the club by the end of October, left the squad devoid of any confidence, and in came Chris Gagg, making the step-up from U18 to the first-team duties.

Despite a very good first performance away at Port Vale (in the end, losing out) with a string of new names in the squad, it lead to even more change - which is never comfortable especially when you've already lost every game in the division so far. As the season has gone on, players have gone, players have come in, we've lifted Under 18 players up to the first-team and into the firing line - the girls making a huge first step into Women's open age football. Their first ever taste of the level, coming at a tough time, coming at a pace that they probably wouldn't have expected.

The U18 players alongside the rest of the team that has included even more new names as the campaign has raced on have all been superb. We may have lacked the results and points to show for our performances at times, but they've given everything to the cause so far, there have been a few major set-backs, which has also overseen 10+ injuries in the last few weeks too - in which case is why we headed over to face Redditch Borough away from home with 12-players in the reverse fixture a couple of weeks ago. We have asked more of them. However, when you take it all into account of reflection, they have done the best that they possibly can to what was already a gigantic task before the change in management.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we were able to welcome back a few more to the fold this weekend.

Just before we go onto the actual match outing, I must admit the girls have found it tough at times this season, but their efforts, their commitment, their performances have actually warranted more than they've got. In football though, you don't always get what you deserve, and that's where it's been for Church. Losses in concentration, in focus, their ability to keep calm in pressured moments has been their undoing up to this point. A very young squad of players, hugely talented across the board, and now it was time to just enjoy the final four games of the 2025/2026 season - which will be one to forget overall in the context of everything and grand scheme of things, but the shackles have been off for the last few games, and even more freedom to express themselves heading towards the climax of the season.

Looking towards the future in all cases anyway.

Four games to go: Borough (H), Shifnal (A), Solihull (H), Shrewsbury (A)

MATCH REPORT:
On a rather chilly afternoon in late April, it was the hosts to get us underway for a massive match that could have implications on it come the full-time whistle. Implications that were known for a few weeks for The Church.

The trap door opened just 1 minute and 10 seconds into the contest. The ball was zinged into the box from out wide, and the hosts had about four or five opportunities to clear the ball out of their area. Panic, confusion, and poor connection, eventually ended up leaving the ball to drop kindly for Rosie Axten, who was the calmest out of everyone in there, just to open her foot up, angle it towards the far corner, leaving Fortner with no chance of keeping it out. Church 0, Borough 1.

For a large spell afterwards, it was very scrappy. Redditch keeping the ball well, but not really progressing up the pitch. Church starting to find some sort of foothold in the encounter. On 19 minutes, we came the closest we had to a goal. The game marked a return for Zara Hussain, who had missed 85 days of football, 12 weeks, 2 months and 26 days, 2,040 hours, 122,400 minutes, and 7,344,000 seconds. Her last appearance coming on January 18th, 2026, against the title favourites Lye Town Women. Zara was causing issues early on too, as she looked to begin her new reign of full fitness with a bang. She was close to levelling it up as she got beyond her marker, and hit the shot early, but the recovery defending was superb as well, which denied her of a dream return.

As the half wore on, both sides were starting to get stretched, and the game opening up way more than the reverse fixture a fortnight ago - opening up, but not really seeing as many clear-cut chance as Borough attempting long-range efforts, which weren't necessarily troubling Darcy in the Church goal, whilst the home team were looking dangerous venturing forward, but being stopped in their tracks by some good defending and not having a single clear-cut chance of sorts.

HALF-TIME: ALVECHURCH 0-1 REDDITCH BOROUGH

With the score-line reading as it was, the Church were as things stand being consigned to a season back in tier six, unless they could come up with an answer to prolong their stay of execution.

Having taken a great deal of confidence from their first-half showing, the home side started more on the front foot as they went in search of the equaliser. It was nearly roles reverse too! Just a minute after the restart, and it was Chris' team that went inches away from bringing the game all square. We won possession back high up the pitch before it allowed Maddie Miles to find a bit of room to fire the shot in from the edge of the 18-yard box, which in this instance, flew just over the crossbar to deny us.

BANG! BACK ON TERMS! A BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE!

A long ball over the top caused major issues for the Redditch captain, and she flicked the header backwards, which opened up the flow of space for striker Poppy Jones, on her return from a concussion, to run into. She latched onto the mistake, and as she approached the finish, she tucked the effort into the far corner, a brilliant finish, with fantastic amounts of composure as she entered the final approach play. As said, she calmly slotted it home and we were right back in the contest, just six minutes into the second half. Their bravery, and change in tactics, paying dividends.

Church shocked their away team, and that forced them into three changes automatically, as they aimed to wrestle back control of the match. The hosts starting to look way more threatening as they go forward, way more composed, way more controlled. However, ten minutes after levelling it up, we shot ourselves in the foot, allowing the visitors to regain their advantage. Trying to roll the ball out play, we got caught napping, leaving the winger to whip the ball into the area, once again, not dealt with properly from our perspective, Millie Connolly-Heath ready and waiting to pounce at the far post, guiding in off the post.

From there on in, you could sense the momentum starting to now shift back into the away side's favour. Five minutes after getting their lead back, they extended it to two and added a third goal to proceedings. Not closing the shot down quick enough, it gave the midfielder way too much space and time to hit a strike that had all kinds of power, whip and dip on it. Fortner made a good save to get in the way of it, but the save was pushed out back into the mixer, allowing former Church striker Alisha Sheridan to pounce. A hint of offside, plus us not following her into the box to stop the rebound, Sheridan tucked it underneath Fortner to give the visiting team a bit of breathing room.

Right on the full-time whistle, Borough made sure of the points, clinching the victory in some fashion in the end. It looks more comfortable than it was. We switched off in the final seconds of the contest and allowed Sheridan to gate-crash into the six-yard area, fake to shoot, flicking it over the top of our defender before slamming it in off the post to make it look far more comfortable and seal all three points for the team chasing Lye Town at the top of the tree.

As for the bottom, the result does indeed now officially relegate us. The writing on the walls for a few weeks. Now, as mentioned before, time to just see the season out, try compete in every game we have left to play. It doesn't get any easier as we play third-placed Shifnal, fifth-placed Solihull, and fourth-placed Shrewsbury Town. Each of the three teams still in the hunt for the top three places or even able to catch the league leaders, who seem to be powering on towards tier four. Not easy challenges whatsoever, but we will give it everything, and play for a sense of pride to see it out until the end.

FULL-TIME: ALVECHURCH 1-4 REDDITCH BOROUGH