Norwich City Women boss reacts after draw at AFC Sudbury

Norwich City Women head coach Andy Cook was frustrated with his team’s failure to make the most of their quick start.

Summer signing Tamsin Medd-Gill scored less than four minutes into the game for City in a rare midweek encounter with a header, but the boys were wasteful in front of goal after that and could not extend their lead.

Sudbury, also from East Anglia, ultimately made the visitors pay for their missed chances when Jessica Allen equalised midway through the second half.

This result means City have dropped points from their last two league games in the Women’s National League Division One South East, giving early promotion rivals Actonians and Real Bedford the opportunity to close the gap at the top of the table.

City head coach Cook praised Sudbury for the way they handled his team after Medd-Gill’s early goal.

“The opponent had a lot to say and handled the situation well,” he said. “We had a few good opportunities.”

“Scoring that early goal was fantastic for us and we just have to keep going and make sure we really work on it.

“Sudbury was aggressive in their pressing. They took on us player for player and that is a new challenge. We have not experienced anything like it this season.”

“We had to try to find a solution. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal in the second (half).”

“I will take a lot from the two games and make sure we implement what we are doing against Milton Keynes (Dons) and beyond.”

An interesting subplot of the game was that it kicked off just over 48 hours after City’s draw with Chesham United, while it was Sudbury’s first competitive game in over two weeks due to a postponement on Sunday.

Asked if he thought this had an impact on the result, Cook said: “If I was a former Liverpool manager with a German accent, I might use that as an excuse for the result. That’s a joke, of course.”

“I don’t think it really matters. We have to play the game and I think the home team always decides which nights they want to have their games during the week. I think it’s the same in the men’s amateur league so I assume that’s what Sudbury did.

“You can moan and complain about the situation, but if we had won the game tonight, I don’t know if we would have asked that question.

“We could have won, but we could have lost, so we’ll take a point on a Tuesday night.”

After former Sudbury winger Holly Kennard was shown a red card for another yellow-yellow offence, City came under pressure in the closing stages, but substitute Millie Daviss, who came on shortly after the sending off, sympathised with her team-mate.

“It’s difficult,” Daviss said. “I think she’s played here for a couple of years, so she’s not just playing against Sudbury, she’s playing against anyone who’s watching her. That’s the kind of game it is.”

“She’s still young and has a lot to learn. I think we’ll all put our arms around her and it will be a learning experience for her.”

“I don’t think Holly’s substitution affected the game that much. We had a few more chances after that and we all worked together to make sure we didn’t concede the second goal.”

Former City captain Daviss also revealed how pleased she was with her own performance this season after struggling with injury problems in recent years.

She said: “It was a really nice feeling to be at the start on Sunday. I worked hard, so I will be rewarded at the end.”

“The last few seasons haven’t been going well for me. I’ve tried everything and even bought compression boots.

“My recovery is at the top of the list. Diet, sleep, just doing everything I can to make sure I stay fit and ready when I’m needed.”

Norwich City (4-2-3-1): Quantrill; Medd-Gill, Flye, Strauss, Moore; Hailes, Powell (Smith 56); Kennard, Symonds (Daviss 81), Shaw; Snelling. Unused substitutes: Densley, Cook, Booty.