Coming into the game, they were on the back of a troubling run of form. Since the 2-2 draw against the opponents they were facing yesterday in Solihull Moors Women back on March 15th, the form has taken an almighty dip in fortunes. This season has been cast with so much change, so much adversity, so many injuries, and that has played a major part in the midst of it all. It's been one of the toughest campaigns I think anyone will have experienced, but the lessons learned are so valuable, and those experiences will only make this talented bunch of players even stronger heading into next season and future years in the game. For some, their first-ever taste of open age football, something to remember, playing against sides that have been together for good 3-4 years at this level. Even if players of other clubs have moved on, a big core group of girls have stayed together.

For us, it's been the ride of the first-ever year at this level. Asking them to come in and turn the ship around back in November having already been 5-6 games behind, it was never going to be an easy task. It was more so about stabilising the team, building what will be a bright future for the team. A task that had the size of Mount Everest behind it. Players making a huge step-up in levels, also very difficult for them, but they have given it everything they have up to this point. The last few games since relegation was confirmed has been about trying new things, and systems. As a collective, staff and players, t's just about giving two more performances to the cause in what has been an extremely challenging campaign to finish it off. Yesterday and the final game of the season away at Shrewsbury Town next weekend.

To the outside watching in, potentially reading in, the situation has been one of enormous uncertainty, but the girls have had 100% effort in every game - just moments of chaos that have let us down in certain games. They will look back on the season, with reflection, that there will have been missed opportunities. However, within those reflections too, they'll also realise that the lessons they've learned will forever be remembered and ones that they can use in the future to avoid these situations again.

Church were heading into their final home game of the 2025/2026 season. They wanted one more big performance in-front of the home faithful to see things off. The support firstly at The Hayes has been first-class all season, and we'd like to thank everyone that has contributed, whether that be home or away support. It's been a tough old season for the girls in amber and black this year around, but you've continued to stick with us and be the beating heart of it all.

HOW THE ACTION UNFOLDED:
It was the visitors to get us underway for the first-half action.

On eight minutes, the hosts would be kicking themselves as to how they didn't go ahead. The corner was swung into the middle, we converged onto the ball, saw it blocked on the first attempt, and then as we look to punish on the second ball, the goalkeeper for Solihull was called into a sensational save, one that she may not have known much about, but somehow and importantly for the away side keeping it out of the goal. The shot was leathered towards the net, she got a hand up and that strong hand was enough to deny us the lead.

For long periods after that, the game became very scrappy, very stop and start. The Moors were putting us under pressure without really creating too much within the final third. A couple of crosses, and a couple of half-chances. Lots of pressure in our own half, also down to Chris' side not being themselves when we regained possession, kept giving it away and back to them. So they had more of the ball.

As the half wore on, Darcy Fortner was called into an unbelievable save on 33 minutes. Humera Ashfaq found a bit of room to turn on the edge of the box, creep into the space, and curl a beautiful effort that looked to be heading into the far corner, but the shot-stopper for the Church was across in a flash to make a stunning save tipping it wide of the right-hand post to keep the score-line at 0-0.

The deadlock was broken though with five minutes left of the first period. A free-kick on the edge of the area from the wide angle was fired in from Buckley. Her powerful drive towards goal forced Fortner into another save, but this time her parry fell right into the path of defender Jess Keeling, who was on the end of it to force the ball home and give Moors the advantage heading into the break.

HALF-TIME: ALVECHURCH 0-1 SOLIHULL MOORS

Church started the second half very slow. Ashfaq came close to doubling the lead very early on. Two minutes after the restart, she skipped past the challenges, and hit a low-driven strike towards the bottom left-hand corner, which Fortner was alive to, making another good save to deny the away team.

The home side's resistance was then smashed on 50 minutes. Beth Gallagher delivered an inch-perfect cross into the 18-yard area from the free-kick, and it was whipped towards the back post for former Church player and midfielder Gina Burton to get on the end of. The former player raced in and guided it home past Fortner who this time could do nothing to stop it. Huge moment in the contest to seemingly take the game away from us already.

We needed something quickly and immediately to turn the tide, shift the momentum. The response was exactly what we needed. Three minutes after finding ourselves go two down, we restored some hope and lit the fire in the game. Having been fouled about 25 yards from goal, a little bit wider than we would have wanted to get a shot off. Maddie Miles delivered a teasing ball into the box, as the goalkeeper came flying out to claim it, she lost the flight of the ball, seeing it trickle over the line to give us a lifeline.

That hope was crushed just 45 seconds later though. The ball was pumped forward into the channel for Georgia Neath to latch onto. The winger drove towards the by-line from the right. She picked her head up, and pulled the ball back into a dangerous area for Nat Liput to come onto and slot home into the bottom right-hand corner to restore the two-goal cushion.

Again, the chaos came creeping back in. On 62 minutes, it was four for the away side, who were starting to venture up the gears and really take the game away from us, and secure the three points. We'd already had a few warnings from the striker. This time, she did have her goal. Another cross into our penalty area, another goal. Ashfaq was waiting patiently inside, and as the ball was rolled to her on a plate, she wrapped her foot around it, guiding it into the top corner.

It felt like the final whistle just needed to come for the hosts now. It could and should have been five a little less than four minutes later. Grizzle got the better of our defence, and rounded Fortner. The angle was tight, but Gates flew across the face of goal to make a fantastic block stopping a certain fifth goal from crossing the white-line.

The fifth goal was right around the corner though. With 19 minutes remaining on the clock, they made it a five-star performance. Grizzle, who was denied just minutes before, turned provider. She put it into an area within the box and Maz Redmond-Lyon was free, she took her time and curled the ball into the back of the net to make it another tough afternoon for the Church.

FULL-TIME: ALVECHURCH 1-5 SOLIHULL MOORS