EBBSFLEET United Ladies suffered a narrow pre-season defeat against Premier South outfit Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

Brighton play their football in the second tier of the women's football pyramid, a league above the Fleet, so this was a good test as they move closer to the new season's kick-off.

Fleet put in a fine team performance in the first half and managed to both frustrate the opposition, as well as create a few opportunities against a full strength Brighton side.

With the score 0-0 at half-time, Fleet manager Claire Shevlin was pleased with the progress, work rate and performance.

The second half saw Fleet make a few changes of personnel and formation as they focus and prepare for the league season, but they still remained competitive throughout with the match despite eventually going down 2-1.

This weekend sees Ebbsfleet visit Colchester as they continue their pre-season build up.