FA Women's Premier League taking shape at Christmas

Nottingham Forest will celebrate Christmas at the top of The FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division after a 3-0 victory against a battling Guiseley Vixens.

Guiseley have collected just four points in the league so far but created several good chances before Forest’s quality eventually told.

Andi Bell, who had hit the crossbar moments earlier in the second half, broke the deadlock when she met Natasha Meade’s cross to nod home her 15th goal of the season.

Goalscorer then turned provider as Bell teed up Jemma White who doubled the hosts’ lead with a powerful strike and substitute Eleanor Betteridge nearly made it three before Meade grabbed her second of the afternoon with a sweetly-struck shot from a narrow angle.

The result hands Forest a three-point advantage over Preston North End, who also enjoyed some Christmas cheer after dispatching Newcastle United 4-0.

Newcastle fought bravely after having to make two enforced substitutions early on, but Preston struck a hammer blow just before half-time through Kim Turner. After Charlotte Farrell had headed on a corner, Turner managed to spin and shoot home – and it did not take long before Preston found the net again in the second half.

This time Gemma Watson latched onto a loose ball in the box after fine work from Chelsea Flanagan, and she scored again two minutes later by finishing a one-on-one before she wrapped up the game in the 84th minute with a superb chip.

In the only other Northern Division game of the weekend, it was honours even between Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers, but Stoke will be the more frustrated team of the two, having dropped down to third from second after Preston’s victory.

They went ahead through a first-half penalty, but Blackburn fought back in the second half and a neat flick and finish from Saffron Jordan levelled things up.

Down south, Brighton & Hove Albion ended 2015 nine points clear in the Southern Division after making short work of Tottenham Hotspur in a 4-1 victory.

Charlton Athletic are Brighton’s nearest challengers, but the London side now have three games in hand after their game against third-place Cardiff City was postponed.

Nevertheless Brighton could take some stopping on this evidence – as their top-scorer Charlotte Gurr got them off the mark in the 20th minute to bring up her 15th goal of the season and then doubled Brighton’s advantage on 37 minutes after a low drive from a free-kick.

Jay Blackie made sure of the three points midway through the second half after sweeping home from a corner, before Spurs substitute Ronnell Humes grabbed a consolation before Brighton had the last word when Lisa Fulgence’s cross evaded everyone at the death.

Karissa Rodney settled a 4-3 thriller in C&K Basildon’s favour over Portsmouth by completing her double late on.

Amy Nash opened up the scoring for Basildon but Ini Umotong scored twice with her head in two minutes. Rodney brought Basildon back level moments later in a frenetic end to the half, and Stacey Little nosed the hosts back in front with a spot-kick on the hour.

Portsmouth were not finished though, as Lucy Quinn levelled from distance, but Rodney would settle the game for good 13 minutes before full-time.

Coventry United closed the gap to two points on fourth-place Pompey after Maz Gauntlett, Cristina Torkildsen, Helen Dermody and Holly Miles delivered the goals in a 4-0 triumph over second-from-bottom Forest Green Rovers.

And West Ham United notched their fourth league victory of the season in emphatic style, with Romina Pinna scoring her first hat-trick in England in a 4-2 win over Plymouth Argyle.

Pinna wrote her name on the scoresheet with a 12th-minute penalty and she had Shev Edwards to thank for her second, as she pounced onto a through ball.

Katie Middleton did give bottom-place Plymouth hope before half-time, but the game looked finished when Pinna completed her treble in the 81st minute.

Plymouth’s consolation swiftly after proved in vain though, as Edwards brought up West Ham’s fourth.