Lee Burch: “We struggled to react from falling behind in the second half”

Bees boss Lee Burch felt that his side struggled to respond to falling behind in the second half, on a tough afternoon against high flyers Durham.

After Sarah Robson’s opener for the hosts, the Bees responded as Amelia Hazard equalised midway through the first half.

But the second half as Hill converted a controversially awarded penalty before Achterhoft sealed the points for the Wildcats with just under ten minutes to play.

Burch thought the second-half penalty was a real turning point in what was a closely fought game in the North-East.

“It does look soft, there wasn’t really any appeals, I couldn’t really see from my angle I didn’t really know what had happened”

“Up until them retaking the lead, they were in the ascendancy but we were comfortable in the game, so it really was a shame to fall behind in that manner”

Despite the defeat, the boss feels his side can take a lot of pride in their performance away at one of the toughest grounds in the FA Women’s Championship.

“With the travel and the pitch they have up there, it all has to be taken into account. They are obviously very used to these factors, which makes it tough for almost every team to go up there and get a result.”

“We dealt with it well originally, but in the end, you have to give them credit because they were better on the day and deserved the three points.”

The next task for Burch’s side is two home games in quick succession, as we welcome Brighton to The Hive London on Wednesday evening, before a league London derby with Charlton Athletic.

The Bees have bounced back well when they have fallen to defeat so far this season and the boss is hoping for more of the same despite two tricky fixtures to come.

“We know Brighton have had a good result against Birmingham on the weekend, so they will come to us in good spirits.”

“They like us are in a good position in the Conti Cup, so we know it will be a really difficult game, they are a professional side who have done well in the WSL”

“This month we take on some really good sides, it’s going to be really tough. But these are the games that you want to be involved in and we will see where we’re at when we get to Christmas”

Women’s football weekend saw some excellent attendance across the country and Burch has urged as many Barnet and London Bees supporters to get down to The Hive to give their backing in two massive matches.

Barnet FC members receive free entry to all home Bees fixtures and Burch would love to see as many down the ground as possible on Wednesday night and Sunday afternoon.

“It was a big weekend for women’s football, not just in the WSL but in all of the top four divisions. It was also so good to see big attendances at women’s teams’ usual home grounds.”

“It was nice to see and talk with some Barnet fans at their game against Fleetwood, so many fans welcomed us which I am really grateful for”

“I would love to see some of them come down and support the Bees, we love playing in front of a big crowd and it really helps the girls. So I hope to see even more supporters down The Hive cheering us on”