Steyning Town Women 3 Bexhill Women 1
Report by Lauren Hawker
Winning start to 2026 as Steyning Town Women secure 3-1 success.
Steyning Town Women opened 2026 with a home league fixture against Bexhill, knowing the encounter presented an opportunity to reassert themselves after a difficult end to the previous year.
Sitting sixth in the table and nine points ahead of their visitors, Steyning faced a Bexhill side placed tenth, as the hosts looked to bounce back from a 4–1 defeat to Saltdean Development in their final match of 2025.
With a new year underway, Steyning were intent on starting on the front foot in familiar surroundings.
The opening ten minutes were evenly contested, with Steyning showing greater attacking intent but struggling to convert their early pressure into a clear chance on target. In the 16th minute, Steyning’s Willow Exley tried her luck from outside the box, sending her effort wide to the right, before a further attempt from Ruby Melis also drifted wide soon after.
Bexhill offered a response in the 23rd minute when Catherine Hyland fired a shot on goal, though it fell comfortably into the hands of Sophie Harding.
Despite both sides’ efforts, the match remained tight, with each defence proving difficult to break down and sustained possession hard to come by.
Steyning came close to breaking the deadlock in the 33rd minute when a well weighted ball from Exley created an opening for Chloe Higman, but the chance was smothered by Keila Tucker. The visitors threatened late in the half, with a shot from Hope Hyde in the 42nd minute forcing a strong save from the Steyning keeper.
The breakthrough finally arrived on the stroke of half time. In the 45th minute another delivery from Exley found its way through to Sophie Rose, who finished to give the hosts a 1-0 lead heading into the interval.
Bexhill emerged with renewed intent after the interval and nearly drew level in the 48th minute when Hyland broke through on goal, forcing a strong save from the Steyning goalkeeper. The warning went unheeded, and two minutes later the same player found the back of the net to equalise, making it 1–1.
Steyning responded positively, with Exley continuing to be a driving force. In the 58th minute, a surging run from Exley caused problems inside the Bexhill box, underlining her influence on the match. The hosts came close to regaining the lead shortly after, as Sam Philips saw a shot narrowly saved in the 61st minute, followed by a long-range effort from Jodie Pallant that sailed over the bar.
Pressure continued to build, with Philips again going close in the 66th minute, her effort drifting just wide of the left post. Steyning’s persistence paid off in the 73rd minute when Higman forced another fine save from the Bexhill goalkeeper, before the breakthrough arrived three minutes later.
In the 76th minute, Hannah Goffi delicately chipped the ball over the advancing keeper to restore Steyning’s lead at 2–1.
Steyning looked to extend their advantage, with Higman once again creating an opening in the 81st minute, setting up Goffi, who sent her effort wide. However, the hosts sealed the victory two minutes later when Chloe Higman found the net to make it 3–1, securing a strong start to 2026 for Steyning Town Women.
PotM: Holly Clarke. An incredible display of energy and work rate that was backed up with some great work on the ball and a fabulous demonstration of passing ability.
MatchDay Squad:
Next Up: AWAY – Sunday 11th January 2pm ko – MONTPELIER VILLA FC – L&SERWFL D1 South