Norwich City Women boss Andy Cook insisted that his players need to use their 2-1 home defeat to table-topping Actonians as fuel in future matches, after the Canaries lost ground in the race for promotion.

The loss was City's first in the Women's National League Division One South East this season and extended their unwanted winless run in the league to five games, dating back to September.

Midfielder Eloise Morran netted her first goal of the campaign to cancel out Hana Lalani's opener, but City were back level for only two minutes, with Amina Hanif's 31st minute strike proving to be a decisive one for Actonians.



Cook has previously stated that he believes 54 points is around the total required to be promoted, and still feels his side are capable of achieving that amount despite their recent struggles.

"It is a realistic target," he said. "I've been in and around these leagues long enough now, and just football in general, to know that you've got to use this now to come back and fight in the coming weeks.

"I'm not going to quote it line-for-line, but in the Rocky movies, they have those bits when you get knocked down, you've got to stand back up, and it's true of life.

Megan Todd in the thick of the action upon her returnMegan Todd in the thick of the action upon her return (Image: R.S.BROWN) "You always get setbacks, it's how you keep moving forward. The ones that are successful are the ones that probably do it the longest and keep going, and that's exactly what I'm about as a person.

"As I've said, it falls at my door when it happens, because we set the team up and get them motivated, and I've got to look at what happened this week to see if it was the right thing for this game.

"The result would suggest it wasn't, but I know there were a lot of good things we did this week, we just didn't quite have the finishing touches today."

City ended the weekend four points behind Actonians, who became the first visiting side to win a league match at The Nest since Hashtag United in February 2023.

Eloise Morran gives chase against ActoniansEloise Morran gives chase against Actonians (Image: R.S.BROWN) Reflecting on the team's 21-month unbeaten streak, Cook said: "It's a heck of a run that this club's been on. I'm proud to have been part of several games up until this point, and the team was in a fantastic place the season before.

"That's the other motivation that teams have when they come here, and you've always got that pressure. Whereas now that pressure's not there, because we've ultimately had this moment.

"Unfortunately, we fell short today, but it's a heck of a run, and we probably should celebrate it."

Cook was able to bring Megan Todd on for the final 20 minutes, with City's captain having only just returned to action following a spell on the sidelines.

"I thought my season was done in August, so it's quite an emotional moment to be back out on the pitch," Todd said. "Obviously the result's frustrating, but I thought I'd done my knee really badly again.

"I don't think my fitness and strength is in a bad place, it's just match speed, match sharpness, making decisions, knowing your positions. It's a lot to think about.

"Personally, I had a really positive training week, and training's intense, so hopefully it makes matches a little bit easier."

Todd said supporters can expect a positive response from City in their next fixture away at QPR.

She explained: "I love a goal at Loftus Road, and I'm excited to play back in a stadium. I think we need that as a collective.

"I think we're a group that actually relishes a challenge, and when our backs are against the wall a little bit, the characters and the mentality really comes out.

"We've talked about sticking together whether we win or lose. You've always got to stay in the middle, and not get too high with the highs, or low with the lows. We stay middle, we do the same, but we push ourselves even harder."

Norwich City (3-4-1-2): Quantrill (c); Flye, Strauss (Tomlinson 68), Bishop; Daviss (Cook 68), Medd-Gill (Symonds 68), Morran, Kennard; Moore (Densley 86); Shaw (Todd 68), Snelling.