GOALKEEPER Simone Quinn made a string of stunning saves – but couldn’t salvage a point for Hereford Ladies in their fight to avoid the drop.

It is Quinn’s first season on her return to the sport and she produced a magnificent double save with 10 minutes remaining in last Saturday’s rain-battered derby match.

Hereford showed battling qualities after conceding two goals in the opening five minutes against a hard-working Newent side who were quickly out of the blocks.

Hereford are now third from bottom In the West Clubs Women’s League Premier Division 2A and take a break from action before travelling to fellow strugglers Gloucester 2nd on March 1.

Hereford’s stand-in captain Julia Messer says player-of-the-match Quinn, who also enjoys football with Malvern, has been a huge asset to the team this term.

Messer said: “Simone has made a difference to us. She is a key player at the back. She is in good form at the moment which is what we need.

“She pulls off some incredible save and she kept us in the game against Newent. She was definitely our top player of the match.”

Messer tweaked her back after colliding with Simone in a first-half which saw Ali Preece floored after an accidental clash of heads with a Newent player and her daughter, Jess Preece, leave the pitch with a hand injury after a tackle.

Messer, who has been playing for Hereford for seven years, said Newent’s lightning start had put her charges under pressure.

“We conceded two quick goals and the team were pretty low at that point but the team did manage to build up and we were a lot stronger going forward after that,” she said.

“I thought we were going to get a lucky set piece – but it didn’t come off.

“We will try to get some wins under our belt.

“We must pick up three points in our next match at Gloucester to keep climbing the table.

“If we can finish mid-table we would be happy.

“The conditions were very hard – we had a game abandoned a few weeks ago after it was worse than that.”

With the rain relentless throughout the afternoon and parts of the nearby athletics track resembling a lake, the Gloucestershire club took a firm grip on the match with two quick-fire goals.

Emma Williams put Newent ahead in the third minute, converting a short corner, and it was worse for Hereford soon afterwards.

Natasha Walters bagged her first goal for Newent – and their second of the afternoon – in the fifth minute after Quinn had done well to parry a shot.

But Hereford rallied and Tess Langford almost halved the deficit but her shot rattled the outside of a post and Dwyn Jones fired narrowly wide from a short corner.

The impressive Saska Ingham was a constant threat for Hereford in the first half and she skipped past several challengers in the 20th minute.

However, Newent’s goalkeeper, Rebecca Dean, who also had an impressive afternoon, was equal to the task and deflected the ball wide.

Hereford continued to press and deservedly pulled a goal back in the 21st minute when Langford showed composure to knock the ball home from close range.

But Newent replied and restored their two-goal cushion with four minutes through Di Williams’ accurate strike from a short corner.

After the interval, both teams played some excellent, attacking hockey in a scoreless second-half as the rain and cold wind continued to cause havoc.

Newent player Helen Birch: “We have never played in weather like it – it was horrendous with driving rain and sleet, and high winds.

“It was hard to see the ball and running against the wind was almost impossible, but both teams battled with the elements to play 70 minutes of excellent hockey.

“It was strangely enjoyable and as the game progressed we started to get used to the awful conditions and I think the umpires felt the cold more than the players.

“We played effective hockey and put the pressure on Hereford straight away. Hereford’s goalkeeper gave our forwards a tough time and made some excellent saves. But with our determination and grit we found the back of the net.”