Promoted Exeter City Women start FAWNL season with big win

18th August 2024 Wilf Frith
Oxford Utd v Ipswich Town, FAWNL
Ipswich Town’s Natasha Thomas and Jaime Gotch of Oxford United. (Photo: www.jamesprickett.co.uk)

FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division newcomers Exeter City scored seven, Burnley and Rugby Borough both won by even bigger margins.

Northern Premier Division

Burnley 9-0 Hull City (Att: 164)
Halifax 0-10 Rugby Borough (Att: 130)
Liverpool Feds 1-1 West Bromwich Albion (Att: 120)
Sporting Khalsa 1-4 Derby County (Att: 90)
Stoke City 0-3 Nottingham Forest (Att: 556)
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 Stourbridge (Att: 407)

Burnley netted nine against promoted Hull, while Rugby’s Jasmine Mosby and Nicky Potts netted trebles in a double-figure victory at Halifax. Sporting Khalsa’s debut at this level saw them defeated by Derby following three goals from the Rams in the last 25 minutes. It was three goals and three points for Nottingham Forest at Stoke where Nat Johnson’s second-half double sent them on their way. Liverpool Feds levelled through Emma Johnson for a point against West Brom who scored through Fran Orthodoxou. Wolves put four past Stourbridge,

Southern Premier Division

AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Lewes (Att: 413)
Billericay Town 4-0 Gwalia United (Att: 110)
Cheltenham Town 4-0 Plymouth Argyle (Att: 131)
Exeter City 7-0 Milton Keynes Dons (Att: 950)
Hashtag United 3-1 Watford (Att: 161)
Oxford United 0-3 Ipswich Town (Att: 321)

Promoted Exeter City sank MK Dons 7-0 as Sophie Gilles hit a hat-trick, Ipswich also made a strong start with three unanswered goals at Oxford and two of them by Sophie Peskett. Hashtag United trailed to relegated Watford but responded with three goals to take all the points.ย Billericay beat Gwalia United 4-0 with the game goalless until the 70th minute, Cheltenham matched that result when hosting Plymouth. AFC Wimbledon so nearly made a winning start after their promotion but Lewes forced a stoppage-time own goal.

Division 1 Midlands

Boldmere St Michaels 1-1 Barnsley Women (Att: 72)
Leafield Athletic 2-1 Northampton Town (Att: 70)
Lincoln City 0-6 Loughborough Lightning (Att: 85)
Notts County 2-1 Lincoln United (Att: 128)
Worcester City 1-4 Peterborough United (Att: 179)
Solihull Moors 0-1 Sutton Coldfield Town (Att: 69)

Runners-up last season, Loughborough Lightning kicked off the new campaign with a 6-o success at Lincoln City. Lincoln United lost on their league debut 2-1 at Notts County whose Jessie Knott headed the winner, Worcester also losing out 4-1 to visiting Peterborough for whom Tara Kirk banked a brace in the opening 10 minutes. Eva Rogers’ goal 7 minutes from time gave Sutton Coldfield the points at Solihull, Evie Gallop got an 88th-minute decider for Leafield over Northampton, Beth Merrick found the net for Boldmere to cancel out a Rosie Axten penalty for Barnsley Women.

Division 1 North

Barnsley FC 2-2 AFC Fylde (Att: 146)
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-3 Durham Cestria (Att: 281)
Leeds United 0-2 Huddersfield Town (Att: 345)
Middlesbrough 1-0 Cheadle Town Stingers (Att: 427)
Stockport County 3-0 Norton & Stockton Ancients (Att: 122)
York City 0-3 Chorley (Att: 165)

Durham Cestria defeated Doncaster by the odd goal in five as Anna Soulsby notched a treble, Huddersfield won at Leeds with late goals in either half, Chorley netted all three at York with two by Mollie Wood. Stockport won by a similar score at home to Norton, Middlesbrough edged debutants Cheadle with a Jess Mett effort, Barnsley FC began their new challenge with a draw against Fylde but had been ahead on two occasions.

Division 1 South East

Cambridge United 0-1 Actonians (Att: 72)
Chatham Town 5-1 AFC Sudbury (Att: 125)
Chesham United 1-2 London Seaward (Att: 95)
Dulwich Hamlet 2-3 Norwich City (Att: 814)
London Bees 2-2 Queens Park Rangers
Real Bedford 3-0 Ashford Town (Att: 105)

Real Bedford’s first FAWNL fixture saw them overcome Ashford Town 3-0, Lucy Monkman gave Dulwich the lead but they lost narrowly to Norwich who responded with three goals.ย Katherine Long scored a twelve-minute second-half brace for London Seaward, as they overturned a half-time deficit to win at Chesham. Otesha Charles scored three of Chatham’s five against Sudbury, Actonians took the points at Cambridge United, London Bees fought back from two down for a 2-2 tie with QPR.

Division 1 South West

Bournemouth Sports 0-0 Portishead Town (Att: 65)
Bridgwater United 0-1 Abingdon United
Bristol Rovers 0-5 AFC Bournemouth (Att: 307)
Keynsham Town 2-4 Swindon Town (Att: 50)
Moneyfields 4-0 Maidenhead United
Worthing P-P Southampton Women

No goals for the newcomers as Bristol Rovers conceded five against AFC Bournemouth for whom Jenna Markham got three but Bournemouth Sports did get a point from the 0-0 draw with Portishead. Abingdon United got the only goal at Bridgwater through Mimi Hodges, Moneyfields put four past Maidenhead as Shannon Albuery and Charley Wilson-Wilton each scored twice. Swindon came out on top 4-2 at Keynsham where Libby Davies got a couple of their goals.

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