Herne Bay Ladies shrugged off the disappointment of their cup reverse at Carshalton Athletic with this battling draw in their first league game of the season against a Chichester side that had finished third in last season’s Premier Division campaign.

Bay had the better of the opening twenty minutes but long range efforts were not enough to trouble Robinson in the visitors’ goal. Amber Guyatt went close with one effort that looped over the bar and, in the second 45, Jemma Barton let fly only to see the ball land on the roof of the net.

Bay’s legs tired in the last quarter of an hour and one speculative shot from Chichester, that seemed to be going wide, came back off of Sarah Cooper’s right hand post and rolled agonisingly across the face of the goal inches from the line.

Player / manager Kate Foster logged her 100th appearance in a Herne Bay shirt.

Herne Bay Ladies: Sarah Cooper, Jade Childs, Debbie Blackmore, Chloe Dodds, Charley Kerry, Kate Foster, Carly Farrow, Emily Brown, Jemma Barton, Chloe Woolaway, Lauren Harris.

Roll on / Roll Off Subs (all used): Amber Guyatt, Saraya Phillips, Asmaa Hatim, Sophie Gifford, Maddy Chapman.