LUCY Cooper and Katie James found the net as Cherries Women climbed up to second in National League South West with a 2-0 victory at Chesham United.

It marked the perfect start to 2022 for Steve Cuss's side, who remain unbeaten in the league all season.

They sit two points behind leaders Cheltenham Town, with a game in hand.

Discussing the victory at The Meadow, Cuss told the Cherries website: "I was really pleased and I thought the performance was very good.

"We scored a goal in each half and we had opportunities to get a couple more. On top of that, we defended well so we're really pleased with the performance.

"We hadn't played for a month as well because of the Christmas break and a cancellation either side of that.

"Fair play to the players, they played very well and their fitness levels were very good. It's testament to their commitment over the Christmas period because we trained a lot.

"We of course had a small break, but we were straight back into training. I think that showed with their fitness, especially in the latter part of the game as fitness levels came through strongly.

"Their commitment over Christmas and new year to remain fit and strong was excellent and it showed against Chesham."

He added: "Chesham are a real threat going forward. They've got some good players and the league's leading goalscorer too, so we had to defend well.

"Chesham caused us some problems early on, but we defended well and grew into it in that element.

"Ultimately, it's another clean sheet for them and it's fully deserved with some good performances from them all."

Cherries head to AFC Totton to face Southampton FC Women on Sunday in the Hampshire FA Cup (1.45pm).