Rockettes beat Bournemouth - the match in pictures

The Rockettes started brightly, but were soon met by a well-organised and physically strong Bournemouth side who proved difficult to break down.

Bognor created several promising chances during the first half, showing good attacking intent, but were unable to find the breakthrough. Bournemouth defended resolutely to keep the scores level at the interval, with the sides going in at half-time with the scoreline goalless.

Bognor emerged for the second half with renewed determination and continued to apply pressure, but Bournemouth remained stubborn in defence, particularly when dealing with set pieces.

The breakthrough finally arrived midway through the second half. A well-delivered opportunity saw Sophia Poling rise to head home, with the Bournemouth goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball but unable to prevent it from crossing the line.

The goal gave Bognor the advantage their attacking efforts had been threatening to produce, but there was still work to do against a resilient Bournemouth side. The Rockettes continued to pose a threat, making good use of the width of the pitch and creating problems down both wings.

Their persistence was rewarded in stoppage time when Sophie Humphrey added a second goal, putting the result beyond doubt and securing a valuable 2-0 victory. The Player of the Match award, sponsored by Nando’s, went to Niamh Andersson, who made her return to league action after several months out through injury. Her return is a welcome boost for the Rockettes as they continue their campaign.

The Rockettes will now turn their attention to cup action, with a home tie against Saltdean DS in the Sussex County Cup on Sunday, October 18, kicking off at 2pm.