A last minute goal meant Sheffield Wednesday Ladies lost 5-4 to Brunsmeer Athletic, despite a top performance and brave fightback.

The Owlesses were looking to bounce back from the heavy defeat last weekend against Ossett United, where they fell to a 6-0 loss against the side at the top of the NERWFL, and Brunsmeer Athletic stood in their way - a team who sat just one place above Andy Gilligan and Gary Wilson’s side before kick-off, however they have accumulated the same amount of points in four fewer games.

Gilligan and Wilson opted to make three changes to the side that suffered defeat at home to Ossett, with Jess Birtles and Abbie Hastie making way for Imogen Yeardley and Beth Ayrton, the pair coming into the defence and midfield respectively. Skye Webster also earned her spot in-between the sticks in place of Kirsty Tonner.

But things didn’t get off to the best start, though, and the visitors fell behind early doors as Brunsmeer attacker ,Millie Kenyon, was left with acres of space in the centre of the box after a cross from the right. She made no mistake in tapping it past Webster to make it 1-0 to the hosts.

To their credit, Wednesday Ladies didn’t falter after this early hiccup, with Nicole Shaw and Harriet Lloyd causing chaos on either flank, and it was the latter who brought the Owlesses back on level terms after picking up the ball on the left wing - she unleashed a ferocious strike into the bottom right corner to bring it back to 1-1. Game on.

Unfortunately, however, Brunsmeer responded instantly to Lloyd’s strike in the 15th minute, and after some confusion from the Wednesday Ladies backline saw Webster’s misplaced pass find the home side’s attacker, she was able to pass it into an empty net. And from there the home side took full control of the tie... A corner from the left side evaded the Owlesses defence, and Brunsmeer’s Rachel Hale managed to notch her first of the game - despite captain Eleanor Vessey’s best efforts to clear it off the line. 3-1.

The first half showing called for Gilligan and Wilson to change things up at the interval, with Heidi O’Reilly and Rachel Norsworthy coming on for Maisie Gilligan and Ayrton, but Athletic’s top showing continued into the second half as Nat Shaw bagged her second of the game to give the home side a three-goal lead, with the score now sat at 4-1.

Wednesday Ladies’ weren’t giving up though, and hopes of a comeback were given a boost as Lloyd confirmed her brace, spotting the Brunsmeer shot-stopper off her line, before managing to loft it with precision over her and into the vacant net.

The spark was still alive for the visitors, it wasn’t game over yet, but they had Yeardley to thank for that after some heroic defending from a corner cleared an almost guaranteed goal for the hosts. Then, only moments later, Wednesday Ladies closed the gap even further. Now they found themselves only one goal behind after a terrific strike from O’Reilly, shifting it onto her left foot and sending it past the keeper to make it 4-3.

For SWLFC the floodgates had opened, and only minutes later they had spectacularly got back on level terms, and it was Lloyd who was on hand to complete her hat-trick. She managed to play some beautiful passes down the left flank with Vessey, and - after working it into the box, - converted from a tight angle. 4-4, and the comeback was complete!

But alas, there was one more cruel twist in the tale. Despite the onslaught of pressure from Wednesday Ladies, they suffered an unfortunate blow after a cross from the right from Brunsmeer took a lucky ricochet off of Yeardley, turning the ball into her own net to make it 5-4 to the home side in the dying minutes, and it was a goal that the Owlesses didn’t have enough time to respond to.

The defeat leaves Wednesday Ladies in 7th position in the NERWFL, with a home clash next weekend against York City Ladies Development awaiting the side at the SWFCCP Jubilee Sports Club.