Sporting Club Albion boosted their FA Women's Premier League Northern Division title hopes with a 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.
That scoreline reduced Preston North End’s gap at the top of the table to just six points, meaning two wins and a draw from their remaining four fixtures will be enough to deliver them the title.
Albion, who sit second in the standings, wrapped up all three points within 15 minutes, after Abi Cottam opened the scoring early on and Eleanor Clarke found the back of the net just four minutes later.
FA Women's Premier Leagues
Northern & Southern Divisions
Sunday 1 May
By Jack Miller
Kelly Darby then drilled the ball home to make it three after just a quarter of an hour, and Cottam completed the scoring with her second of the game with an hour left on the clock.
There were plenty of goals too in the game between Nottingham Forest and Stoke City, as Forest put three past their opposition with Elizabeta Ejupi breaking the deadlock in the first half.
Annabel McKechnie and Georgia Gladwin scored one apiece in the final 20 minutes to seal maximum points for Forest and secure their first win in three.
Bottom-side Loughborough improved their survival hopes after coming from behind to beat Newcastle United 2-1.
Lindsay McCubbin had given the Magpies the lead, but the Foxes turned the scoreline on its head with two goals in eight minutes before half-time.
The Foxes will have to win their remaining game and hope that other results go their way if they are to stay safe, after Nuneaton earned a point away to Bradford City to move them three points above the bottom of the table.
Nuneaton had taken the lead early on, before midweek hat-trick hero Hannah Campbell levelled for City to salvage a point for the home side – with Rosie McDonnell also rattling the crossbar.
Meanwhile in the FA WPL Southern Division, while Brighton & Hove Albion had the league title in the bag, there was still plenty to play for with second place on the line.
And it was Charlton who earned that honour with a hard-earned 3-2 win at Coventry United, to finish two points behind league winners Brighton & Hove Albion.
Natasha Lynch put Coventry ahead at the halfway point, but Kim Dixson stepped up to fire home a free-kick and Kit Graham’s diving header then put the Addicks ahead.
Amber Hughes did equalise for United, but Charlton were not to be denied the victory and Ellen Baxter secured the win for the London club in the 89th minute of their final game of the campaign.
Elsewhere, Cardiff City beat C&K Basildon 4-2 to secure a third-place finish in the league with one game left to play.
The Bluebirds now look forward to the FA WPL League Cup final next weekend, where they will meet Tottenham Hotspur at Kidderminster Harriers FC.
