Ely City 1 Cambridge City 2

A LATE double from Cambridge City saw them snatch three points on Saturday.

Alison Chapman’s side played superbly to take the lead against the visitors but two breakaway goals consigned them to defeat late on.

The loss sees Ely remain third from bottom of Division 2NW of the East Hockey League, with only three fixtures remaining.

City’s nervy defence made several mistakes early on, gifting Ely a series of short corners, but the home side were unable to convert despite employing different routines.

Chapman’s charges enjoyed the lion’s share of the first-half possession and created some promising opportunities but an injury to the captain forced the home side into a reshuffle, which unsettled their shape.

Ely came out renewed for the second half and quickly reassumed control of the match, working hard to put through balls for Jo Rayner to take on the defence. Rayner battled hard in the D, winning Ely more short corners.

Player of the match Katie Spilsbury opened up the attack down the right, working with Amanda Baxter to drive the ball down on to the back line.

A well-struck shot from the top of the D was stopped on the line by a City foot which left Ely with a great chance to take the lead. Flick-taker Pamela Clarke did not buckle under pressure and slotted the ball home.

Ely sought to settle down after taking the lead but the visitors were quickly on the front foot and flooded the midfield.

Ely’s defence struggled to adjust and they soon found themselves defending a glut of short corners. A deflection off an Ely stick in the D brought a fortuitous equaliser for City.

In the final stages of the game, City capitalised on a half-cleared rebound and, after a scramble at the goalline, managed to secure the win.