Top of the table Bolton Wanderers travelled to the Fibrus Community Stadium boasting a five from five league record this season and were in no mood to give their 100% record away lightly.
They went home with a 4-2 victory against their hosts Workington Town Women.
The visitors got into their groove quickly and looked sharp and slick over the opening 10 minutes, fashioning chances albeit from distance.
Their best chance came in the third minute when the ball was worked into space on their right which was met by Milla Hodson who flashed a shot wide of target.
Town’s first sight at goal came in the 8th minute when a committed challenge from Sarah Smith saw the ball finding Hayley Bracken centrally.
Bracken released a firm strike on goal, only to find keeper Tilda Lester alert to the danger, diving to her right to save well.
Good work shifting the ball from left to right at pace from Bea Barber, Smith, Cassie Donald and Chloe Little, saw Bracken played in again before her first time strike flashed past the post to safety.
Little was again in action soon after when she fed Barber into space on the right edge of the area before a well driven shot narrowly missed the target.
Little, Smith and Bracken linked again within minutes with the latter in on goal. Lester was again alert to the danger and saved well diving to her right to collect.
This wasn’t a one-sided affair by any means, and with great hold up play from Emmanuella Cambell in the visitors’ front line, Town’s centre back pairing of Molly Blair and Keeley Chatters were kept active throughout along with stern back-up out wide from Lauren Campbell and Tiegan Hargrave.
Cambell’s strength was on display just before the half hour mark after holding off would-be challengers before testing Laura Miller in the home goal.
Miller parried the dangerous strike from distance before Donaldson cleared behind to safety.
Two further chances fell to Town. The first was to Barber when she found herself in space with only Lester to beat.
Another display of fine keeping saw the Bolton custodian off her line to smother the chance and deny Barber, with the striker looking to round the keeper with one of her trademark goals.
With just under five minutes of the half remaining, a fine strike from Hargrave on the edge of the area raffled the crossbar after good work from Bracken on the left had saw the full back offering support on the right.
Miller was called into action just before the break when another spirited Bolton attack saw a flashing strike forcing Miller to save well and push the ball away to safety.
Bolton opened the scoring in the 8th minute of the second half after sharp intricate passing was equalled by creative running lines, which stretched the home defensive unit.
Ella Tweedle was on hand in the middle to finish sharply from close range and push the visitors ahead.
Within two minutes their lead was doubled, this time through great creativity and sharp passing on the right before a level of fortuity in the goal mouth.
Cambell’s scrambled attempt came back off the post before finding the leg of Hodson who appeared to have been in front of the ball.
Sadly, with no VAR to check claims of offside, the ensuing passage saw the ball fall to Cambell who was able to convert from close range.
The home side introduced some fresh legs on the hour mark with Olivia Beattie, Nat Broad and Morgan McGrady coming on.
Within minutes this seemed to have paid off in a move that started with Beattie pouncing on a loose ball in the middle of the park. She was alert to find Donald in space and moved the ball on efficiently to take the advantage.
Donald collected and threaded a sublime pass through the centre of the pitch to meet Bracken’s well-timed run, before the striker set herself and finished with poise to half the deficit.
Moments later and the game was level thanks to an amazing strike from Donald from over 25 yards out.
A delivery in from the left off Lauren Campbell was hunted down by Broad before linking with Beattie. Again, Beattie offered no hesitation as she laid off to Donald who unleashed a thumping strike from range which left Lester no hope of saving as it flew past her outstretched arms.
Bolton fought back straight away and Miller was twice called into action in quick succession.
The first from a Cambell strike on the edge of the area and the second from close range off a corner.
Bolton went ahead in the 72nd minute when an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration from the home side defence resulted in an unsuccessful clearance.
Eden Slater was on hand to take control of the loose ball and drive home from close range.
The visitors two goal cushion was re-established moments later when a corner from the right was parried by Miller but only found Gracie Wolfendale at the back post who fired from the tightest of angles to leave Miller beaten.
The visitors had their tails up and the two goal cushion allowed them to remain on the front foot.
Blair and Chatters were working flat out to keep the attacking advances at bay and a late Miller save offered reward for their toils.
The final act of the game saw Towns late substitutions combining to create an opportunity.
A first time strike from Ella O’Nions climbed over the bar after good work from Kobie Metherell down the right had seen the debutant deliver a dangerous ball to find her.
After the game, Bolton’s manager gave praise to Town’s centre back pairing of Blair and Chatters before selecting the latter for the home side’s Player of the Game.
After the game, Town’s manager Paul Mackenzie said: “I thought it was clearly a game of two halves. We created the better of the chances in the first half and looked the more likely to score. Whereas the second half was Bolton’s and they were able to apply a lot of pressure on to us.
“You have to give Bolton credit for what they are doing as a club for women’s football. They are attracting a lot of talented players to their ranks and this obviously shows on the pitch.
“That said, I thought we at least matched them for good periods of the game and with a bit more luck we might have tested them more.
“I thought we played really well against a very polished side. Bolton took the points but we have lots of things to be pleased with for sure and the positives we take from the performance will ultimately make us stronger.“
