AFC Sudbury 1 Norwich City Women 1

Norwich City Women's boss Andy Cook was frustrated his team could not make the most of a fast start.

Summer signing Tamsin Medd-Gill scored a header less than four minutes into a rare midweek encounter for City, but they were wasteful in front of goal thereafter and unable to build on their advantage.

Fellow East Anglian outfit Sudbury eventually made the visitors pay for the chances they missed, with Jessica Allen notching the equaliser midway through the second half.

The result means City have dropped points in their last two league matches in the Women’s National League Division One South East, giving early promotion rivals Actonians and Real Bedford an opportunity to close the gap at the top of the table.

City head coach Cook praised Sudbury for the way they handled his side after Medd-Gill's early goal.

"The opposition have a big say in it and they've rode the storm," he said. "We had a couple of good opportunities.

"To get the goal early was fantastic for us, and we just need to kick on and make sure that we're really working on that.

"Sudbury were aggressive in their pressing. They went player for player against us and it's a new challenge. We haven't faced that this season yet.

"We had to try and work out and find a solution to it. Unfortunately we conceded in the second (half).

"There's a lot that I'm going to take from the two games and make sure that we're implementing against Milton Keynes (Dons) and beyond."

An interesting sub-plot to the game was that it kicked off just over 48 hours after City's draw with Chesham United had concluded, while it was Sudbury's first competitive match for over two weeks, owing to a postponement on Sunday.

When asked if he felt this had any bearing on the outcome, Cook said: "If I'm an ex-Liverpool manager with a German accent I might make that my excuse for the result. That's a joke, obviously.

"For me, I don't think it really matters. We've got to play the game, and I think the home team always chooses what nights they want their midweek games. I think it's the same in men's non-league, so I presume Sudbury have done that.

"You can moan about the situation and complain, but if we'd have won the game tonight, I don't know if we'd have asked that question.

"We could have won, but we also could have lost, so we'll take a point on a Tuesday night."

A red card to former Sudbury winger Holly Kennard for a second bookable offence meant City found themselves under pressure in the final stages, but substitute Millie Daviss, who was introduced shortly after the sending off, sympathised with her team-mate.

"It's difficult," Daviss said. "She played here for a few years I think, (so) she's not just playing against Sudbury, she's playing against everyone that's watching her. It's that sort of game.

"She's still young, she's got a lot to learn. I think we're all going to put our arm around her and this will be a learning experience for her.

"I don't think, with Holly coming off, that it affected the game horrendously. We still had a few chances after and we all worked together to make sure that we didn't concede that second goal."

Former City captain Daviss also revealed how pleased she has been with her own involvement this season, having had injury issues in years gone by.

She said: "It was a really nice feeling having a start on Sunday. I've been working hard so you get your reward in the end.

"For the last few seasons now, it's not particularly fallen in my favour. I've been trying to do all sorts; I've even bought myself some compression boots.

"My recovery is top of the list. Nutrition, sleep, I'm just doing everything I can to ensure I stay fit and I'm ready when called upon."

Norwich City (4-2-3-1): Quantrill; Medd-Gill, Flye, Strauss, Moore; Hailes, Powell (Smith 56); Kennard, Symonds (Daviss 81), Shaw; Snelling. Subs not used: Densley, Cook, Booty.