Workington Town Women played their first fixture under their new identity when they travelled to Kendal.
In what may be their only pre-season game before the league fixtures start on 18 August they beat GT17 by 9-0.
Their Kendal hosts play one Division lower than Town Women but the early signs were that they were up for the challenge and keen on an upset.
Spirited pressing and good linking saw them achieve parity in general play during the first 20 minutes, but clinical attacks from Town had seen them advance to a two goal lead over this time.
The first came from good pressure and quick connections on the left resulting with debutant Cassie Donald, collecting the ball centrally 25 yards out.
Donald was alert to the attacking run of Sophie Birkett on the right and fed the ball to find her run. Birkett met the ball in good stride and picked out the far corner, slotting home with a clean one touch finish.
Hayley Bracken followed suit soon after with a clinical strike from the left and in doing so doubled their lead. Bea Barber had shown great strength to take control of the ball 35 yards out. Equally impressive was her speed of transition into attack, driving at the home defence before picking Bracken out.
Bracken’s first touch gave her the advantage she was looking for as she found the back of the net from just inside the area.
Rachel Gallagher, also making her first appearance for the club, added the third with ten minutes of the half remaining.
Trialist Nat Broad had shown great touch to control a ball played deep on the left before connecting well with Barber, who squared quickly to offer Gallagher her chance.
Having cut in from the right, Gallagher showed great timing and strength to turn the ball home whilst under pressure from the keeper and home defender.
Broad went on to bag the first of her brace of goals early in the second half when she latched onto an intelligent free kick played in behind the line from Holly Redmond.
She collected in her stride and finished with great composure, lifting the ball over the advancing keeper.
Bracken bagged her second goal soon after with Gallagher turning provider this time. Gallagher showed great pace and composure as she threatened the back line before feeding square to find the supporting striker. Bracken was keen to capitalise and found the back of the net from the right with a powerful strike.
Donald had threatened earlier in the game and eventually got her rewards for her lively performance half way through the second half.
Captain Naomi Foster had carried with purpose on the right and delivered a dangerous ball in to the box which was half cleared by the home defence.
Donald was quick to react as she took control and calmly created the space to get her strike away with power to open her account for the club.
She didn’t wait long for her second after timing her run well to meet a sublime corner delivered by Broad from the left. Her timing enabled her to generate the power needed to head the ball cleanly home leaving the home keeper helpless.
Broad’s second of the day came from an equally sublime delivery from another trialist, this time on the right. Broad produced a quality finish, finding the back of the net despite the keeper getting a glove on the ball.
The scoring was rounded of just before the final whistle when last season’s top scorer Bea Barber added her name to the list of the day’s scorers.
Kirsten Donald, also on debut, had worked hard and displayed great strength to secure possession in the middle of the park. This was followed with a moment of great vision as she invited Barber to attack the space in behind with an intelligent feed forward splitting the home defence.
Barber duly accepted as she knocked the ball past the advancing keeper before slotting home clinically from a tight
On the performance, manager Paul Mackenzie said: “What a cracking start to our life as Workington Town Women FC. We had four players on debut and a fifth player on trial with us.
“Four of these players contributed to the goals we scored from their attacking positions they played in. Keeley Chatters can play anywhere on the pitch and I’ve no doubt she will feature in nearly every position throughout the season.
“She was used as a defender today and added great composure through her skill at the back. She threatened the goal herself as she narrowly headed over from a corner.
“These new recruits have complimented the form shown during the second half of last season and we are looking forward with excitement to seeing what we can achieve with growth through the coming season.”
“The full squad delivered so many of our aims and that was really pleasing for us all. There’s a great buzz and togetherness building and things are going really well.”
