Town Women secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Dronfield Town Ladies in a thrilling top-of-the-table clash at Clee Fields, extending their unbeaten league run with a resilient display.
Town started brightly and threatened inside the opening minutes. Milly North delivered an early cross that was well held before Abbie Emslie nearly produced a moment of magic with an overhead kick that the Dronfield goalkeeper did well to keep out. At the other end, Jas Lacey was called into action early, making a smart stop after a goal-line block kept the visitors at bay.
The breakthrough arrived in the eighth minute. A short Dronfield goal kick was headed straight back by Pariss Welsh, allowing Beth Wharton to race through on goal and finish confidently to give Town the lead.
Dronfield responded with pressure of their own, but Lacey proved unbeatable, producing outstanding saves – including a strong near-post stop and a superb reaction to deny a header that looked destined for the net. Town continued to push for a second before the break, with both Emslie and Wharton going close, but the Mariners had to settle for a slender 1-0 advantage at half-time.
After the restart, Grimsby looked to build on their lead. Wharton tested the goalkeeper once again, while North drove forward and fired over. Just past the hour mark, North thought she had doubled the advantage when she found the back of the net, only for the goal to be disallowed following a consultation between officials.
The visitors grew into the contest and eventually found an equaliser from a corner in the 73rd minute, setting up a tense finale. Town believed they had immediately restored their lead when Wharton finished after a collision involving the Dronfield keeper, but the whistle had already gone for a foul.
With the match finely poised, North took matters into her own hands in the closing stages. After beating her marker and driving into the box, she was brought down to win a penalty. The forward stepped up herself and made no mistake from the spot, calmly restoring Town’s lead with five minutes remaining. Dronfield pushed forward during a lengthy period of added time and flashed a dangerous cross across the six-yard box, but the Mariners held firm to secure all three points.
It was a determined performance in a high-quality encounter, ensuring Grimsby Town Women remain undefeated in the league.
FT: Grimsby Town Women 2-1 Dronfield Town Ladies
Starting XI: Jasmine Lacey, Leah Wray, Sophie Gray, Tilly Burnett (56′ Thorpe), Pariss Welsh, Eden Pedersen, Abbie Emslie (66′ Dejonge), Milly North, Laura Flecknor (66′ Davis), Olivia Kershaw (85′ Emslie), Beth Wharton
Subs: Beth Mullxhi, Chloe Thorpe, Dani Brighton, Alicia Davis, Alisha Dejonge
Goalscorers:
- Beth Wharton (sponsored by the Mariners Trust)
- Milly North (sponsored by A View From The Findus Podcast)
Supporters’ Player of the Match:
- Pariss Welsh (sponsored by Affordable Cars)
Opposition Player of the Match:
- Milly North (sponsored by A View From The Findus Podcast)
UTM
