Workington Town Women claimed all three points on offer with a 3-2 win over Blackpool Girls and Ladies at the Fibrus Community Stadium.
A second half goal from Nat Broad proved decisive after Bea Barber’s recent run of form had seen her establish an early first half two-goal lead which was cancelled out when Blackpool scored twice in a four-minute spell.
The day had started off brightly with Workington Town Girls Under 11s teams, the Pumas and Meerkats, battling out an impressive curtain raiser game, with the Meerkats running out victorious on the day.
The Pumas claimed their piece of history on the day as they became the first junior team from the renamed club to take the field in their new strip and mirror the Women’s team that would follow.
The home side got off to a great start in the North West Women’s Regional Division One North encounter and set the early pace. It came as little surprise when the early pressure from the home team resulted in them taking the lead in the 6th minute.
Good pressure on the Seasiders back line from Broad and Barber ended with the latter successfully gaining possession. Barber shifted to find a yard before burying the ball and beating Keeper Rhiana Moore.
Eight minutes later, and the lead was doubled with Barber bagging her second. Again, good pressure had seen the home side spoil Blackpool’s possession, with the ball eventually finding Chloe Henderson in an advanced position.
Henderson intelligently fed a pass to find Barber’s run into space when she deftly lifted the ball over the back line. Barber duly obliged as she met the ball and fired home.
Looking dominant and in total control, the home side seemed to be on their way to reducing a negative goal difference tally in the league table. However the Seasiders had different ideas.
The first goal came from a corner on the right which was met by an unmarked Lily Hambly and she powered home a free header. They drew level four minutes later when a penalty was awarded for a foul in the area and converted successfully by Lauren Oatley.
The home side looked rattled and were in disbelief that their dominance of play and possession had been cancelled out. Their fortunes were dealt a further blow when youngster Tiegan Hargrave was forced to leave the field as the half time whistle blew.
A coming together with the visitors left back had seen the youngster fare second best with fears of a broken nose thankfully allayed after a visit to A&E.
Sophie Douglas was introduced when the second half started and replenished by the half time break of play, the Town Women had regained their composure.
This was rewarded in the 51st minute when a sublime threaded pass from Hayley Bracken was met by an equally impressive run from Broad who in turn improved her angle before slotting home.
The home side remained in control for pretty much the whole of the second half and should have extended their advantage, but lessons learned from first half lapses in concentration, meant that a more measured and controlled approach was adopted and as a result the points were secured.
The result means they have got maximum points off the last three league games which means the Town Women have moved up to 9th in the league.
Two players collected the accolades on the day with Bea Barber being selected as Player of the Game for her brace of goals and constant threat on the Blackpool back line and Kirsten Donald bagged sponsors, Allhaver Ltd’s Player of the Game award for her guile in the middle of the park.
On the performance, manager Paul Mackenzie said: “It’s fair to say we made hard work of it, especially after coasting to a two goal lead in the first quarter of an hour. However, winning when you have to reset, brings its own rewards and you learn a lot more about the resolve of the team as a result.
“We spoke at half time about the importance of staying true to our aims and objectives and the players took the field in the second half and gave a more controlled account of themselves.”
