The Women’s First Team made the perfect start to their league season, hitting five goals past Chesterfield Women in an entertaining 5-2 victory.
Ben Thomas’ side took a little time to settle, with Chesterfield looking lively in the opening stages and using their pace to stretch the Mariners’ defence. Despite the early pressure, goalkeeper Jas Lacey remained largely untroubled.
Once Town found their rhythm, the goals soon followed. On 21 minutes, Demi Barai split the defence with a perfectly weighted through ball to last season’s top scorer, Beth Wharton, who made no mistake with a composed early strike to put the visitors ahead.
Just seven minutes later, Wharton was brought down in the box. Up stepped Milly North, who confidently converted from the spot to double Town’s lead.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Barai capped a brilliant individual move with her first competitive goal for the Club. Skipping past her marker, she unleashed a powerful strike that the Chesterfield keeper could only parry into the net, giving Town a commanding 3-0 advantage at the break.
Town carried their momentum into the second half and continued to look dangerous. On 57 minutes, North lifted a clever ball over the top of the Chesterfield defence for Wharton, who smashed home her second of the afternoon to make it 4-0.
The hosts pulled one back just after the hour mark when Lacey was unable to hold onto a skidding effort in difficult conditions, and Chesterfield eventually bundled the ball home on the rebound.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly quashed, however. On 68 minutes, North weaved her way through the midfield and teed up Alicia Davis, who struck a stunning first-time effort into the bottom corner for Town’s fifth of the game.
Chesterfield did grab a late consolation as the rain poured down, but it was the Mariners who took the points with a convincing 5-2 win — an excellent start to their 2025/26 league campaign.
Full-Time: Grimsby Town 5-2 Women Chesterfield Women
Starting XI: Lacey, Kershaw, Gray, Wray (75), Pedersen, Welsh (85), Emslie (75), Davis, Barai, North, Wharton
Subs: Mullxhi, Thorpe (75), Green (85), Dejonge (75), Westerman
