Alisha Dejonge’s second-half strike earned the Mariners a deserved three points in front of a record-breaking crowd at Blundell Park against Chesterfield FC Women this afternoon.
535 supporters turned out to see Ben Challen’s side emerge 1-0 winners as Town extended their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.
Ben Challen made two changes from his side’s 1-1 away at Notts County Women Development last time out, as Mia Jovic stepped in for Chloe Gray in between the sticks and Pariss Welsh came in for Alisha Dejonge.
Sophie Gray and Chloe Thorpe partnered up at the back with Leah Wray and Olivia Kershaw in the full-back positions.
Welsh accompanied captain Dani Brighton in the middle, with Ray Swallow and Abbie Emslie out on the wings, Lily Jacklin as a number ten and Beth Wharton up front.
It was a quietly contested first-half between the two sides. Dani Brighton played the ball out to the right-hand side for Ray Swallow to meet early on. The young winger headed towards goal but couldn’t get her shot away.
Fay Delaney had a chance for the hosts when she was through on goal, but defender Olivia Kershaw did remarkably well to get herself in a position to clear the danger.
The visitors came close to scoring 10 minutes into the first-half. Stephanie O’Brien stepped up to take a free-kick, only for it to fly just over the bar.
Welsh found herself with the ball inside the area on the half an hour mark, after the ball was played in by Abbie Emslie, but the Chesterfield defender did enough to steer her away from goal.
Town’s best chance of the half came ten minutes before the break when substitute Alisha Dejonge opened her body and struck the ball goalwards. It wasn’t easy for the Chesterfield keeper, but she was able to gather the ball to deny the forward.
A couple of changes were made at the break, with Harriet Dalton replacing Lily Jacklin.
A break in play halfway through the second period of the game saw Chesterfield’s O’Brien leave the field and the momentum swung in the Mariners’ favour from that moment on.
It was Dejonge who got the deserved goal for Town when Dalton looped the ball into the middle of the area. The forward didn’t have much time to decide what to do, but she made no mistake as she fired the ball into the back of the net to give the hosts the lead.
Chesterfield came close to an equaliser when a free-kick flew only inches over Jovic’s goal, but it was the 16-year-old shot-stopper who was forced into action in stoppage time to make an excellent save to deny Chesterfield the opportunity to level the score late on.
The Mariners are next in action on Sunday as they host Deeping Rangers in the second round of the Lincolnshire FA County Women’s Cup.
Town: Jovic, Wray, Brighton, Kershaw, Thorpe, Emslie, Wharton, Jacklin, Gray, Swallow, Welsh
Subs: Dalton, Dejonge, Fawcett, Barker, Clapham.
Attendance, brought to you by Elegant Beds: 535
