NORTH
Sporting Club Albion took up first place in the Northern Division of the FA Women’s Premier League following a five-star showing against Guiseley.
Abbie Cottam broke the deadlock for the hosts with a half-hour played and Natalie Poole followed suit with a header almost immediately after.
Leigh-Toni Dugmore’s delicate chip then made it three goals in five minutes, but Guiseley then dug in and did not concede again until late on in the second half.
This time Dugmore converted a penalty, before Trina Greaves rounded off a 5-0 win in the 80th minute to add the gloss on Sporting’s perfect start to the league campaign.
But Derby County also maintained their 100 per cent record following a nerve-jangling 4-3 win away from home at Loughborough Foxes.
Derby were made to work hard for their win as Victoria Brackenbury and Emma Pilling struck for Lougborough before the first half was out, while Shauna Chambers added to their goals in the 55th minute.
But ultimately Katie Lowder’s double, Melissa Johnson and Hannah Ward strikes sealed the three points for the visitors.
Stoke City are another team in form as five different goalscorers all contributed to a 5-2 triumph over Huddersfield Town.
Ashleigh Hayes opened their account after just two minutes before Louise Roberts, Laura Garside and Kate Asher built Stoke a four-goal lead heading into the break.
Faye McCoy then made it five before Emily Heckler and Kate Mallin restored some pride for Huddersfield.
Nottingham Forest waited until the second half to release the handbrake against Newcastle United as doubles from Andi Bell and Natasha Meade did the damage in a 4-0 victory.
Bell won a penalty before seeing her effort saved in the first half, but created the opener after Meade converted the rebound to her initial shot.
Meade then struck again with a superb overhead kick, before Bell showed off her own quality by netting her first of the afternoon with a lob.
And Bell rounded off the scoring after good hold-up play from Meg Howard, adding the gloss to Forest’s first league victory of the season.
And Preston North End clinched their first FA WPL win of the campaign thanks to a last-gasp winner from Chelsea Flanagan against Bradford City.
Bradford initially went in front after Rosie McDonnell’s 27th-minute strike but Keeleigh Savage latched onto the end of Dan Young’s cross to equalise just before half-time.
And after a glut of chances came and went for Preston in the second half, Flanagan popped up in the third minute of injury-time.
Elsewhere, Blackburn Rovers bounced back from their loss to Newcastle with a 2-0 triumph over winless Nuneaton Town.
SOUTH
A stunning strike from Deanna Cooper helped Brighton & Hove Albion secure a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers and move into the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division’s top spot.
Juliette Denny’s own goal edged Brighton in front in the first half, before Cooper smashed home a long-range shot moments after the interval.
Natalie Richardson came close to a reply late on but her shot was saved and Martino Chevannes’ side travelled back from the South Coast empty-handed.
Portsmouth issued a statement of their own, thumping Coventry United 5-1 and recording their second victory from two games so far.
Pompey assumed control just before half-time as Shannon Sievwright fired home moments after Coventry’s Amber Hughes had responded to Leeta Rutherford’s opener.
Ini Umotong made it three shortly after the break and then a double from Gemma Simmonds completed a resounding win for the hosts.
Kirsty Richardson guided Forest Green Rovers towards their first FA WPL victory of the campaign as her second-half goal saw off West Ham United.
The Hammers spurned two early chances – first, midfielder Kelley Blanchflower poked wide from 18 yards after fine build-up play, before Whitney Locke beat Rovers goalkeeper Abbie Morrissey only to fire over the bar.
But the home side recovered before Richardson missed her own glaring opportunity in the second half, beating the offside trap and keeper Aditi Chauhan but losing her balance while shooting.
However, Richardson redeemed herself in the 78th minute by finding the bottom corner from 20 yards with a low strike.
Charlton also registered their first league victory this season, as captain Kim Dixson scored within the first 45 seconds in a 6-1 win at Plymouth Argyle.
Charlton got off to a flying start and had opened the scoring just 45 seconds into the match, with Gemma Shepherd winning possession high up the pitch and feeding Jenny Newman, who squared for captain Kim Dixson to fire home from the edge of the box.
The away side doubled their advantage on 17 minutes as Katie Flack headed home before Newman, playing her first game in over a year having been sidelined by an ACL injury, converted Amy Howlett’s cross four minutes later.
Plymouth pulled a goal back thanks to a fine curling effort from Jessie Jones but Charlton hit back with two goals in two minutes shortly before the interval by Howlett and then Shepherd.
The second half was a quieter affair but 16-year-old Darcy Wells, on her senior debut, finished off the rout.
Elsewhere, Cardiff City won their first away game of the league season as a quickfire three goals just past the hour settled a 7-4 thriller at C & K Basildon.
And Tottenham Hotspur are another team in the leading pack early on after Wendy Martin found the net twice in an away victory at Lewes.
