Beth Wharton was on target four times as the Mariners eased into the second round of the League Cup as they put eight past Belper Town on home soil.
Head Coach Ben Challen made only the one change to his side who scored six as they earned their first League win last time out, bringing in Ellie Wilson for Alisha Dejonge on the wing.
There was less than ten minutes on the clock when the Mariners got their first goal. A training ground corner routine paid off as it was whipped in by Olivia Kershaw to Beth Wharton who played the ball back to the defender. This time her ball in was met at the back post by Abbie Emslie to fire home from close range.
Chloe Thorpe doubled Town’s advantage when she headed in a corner curled in by Wharton.
Minutes later it was three for the home side. Emslie was played through and only having the keeper to beat, made no mistake as she calmly slotted home for her second of the afternoon.
The fourth came before the half an hour mark as Laura Flecknor rose to meet a Kershaw corner and head home for his first goal in black and white.
Belper Town got a goal back with 15 minutes of the first-half to go. Town failed to clear the ball out from the back, giving the Belper striker the opportunity to drive the ball into the bottom corner and deny Chloe Gray a clean sheet in the Mariner’s goal.
Town started the second-half much slower than the first, with Ben Challen making some changes to switch things up.
The fifth goal came almost half an hour into the second-half. Kershaw looped a ball over and Wharton ran on to meet it, outpacing the Belper defender and slotting the ball into the back of the net.
Wharton got her second and Town’s sixth. A ball over the top was misjudged by the Belper defence and the striker nipped in and lobbed the keeper with a lovely finish.
Town’s number nine got her hat-trick with not long left to go in the game. A sublime through ball from Rosie Barker saw Wharton through on goal and with a striker’s instinct, struck the ball home.
Wharton was on target once more, with her third goal in five minutes as she nipped in with a cheeky touch with the outside of the boot to get on the end of a Kershaw free-kick.
The Mariners are next in action as they travel to face Arnold Eagles in the League on Sunday 13th October (2pm KO)
Town: C. Gray, Wray, Brighton, Kershaw, Thorpe, Emslie, Flecknor, Wharton, Wilson, S. Gray, Welsh.
Subs: Fawcett, Swallow, Barker
