Ella Barber reports from the Don Amott Stadium
Derby County Women secured three points in their final home game of the FA Women’s National League season, as four second-half goals for the Ewes sealed a 4-3 victory over Liverpool Feds.
The win in their first home fixture following their National League Plate victory pushes Derby up to seventh in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier division.
Goals from Kira Rai, Emelia Wilson, Amy Sims and Eleanor Ashton allowed Derby to stroll into a four-goal lead in front of watching club owner David Clowes, 24 hours after the men sealed promotion from League One with a 2-0 win over Carlisle United, before a Beth Donoghue hat-trick gave Liverpool hope.
Following an uneventful first half in which neither side was able to get a foothold on the game, the Ewes came out firing in the second half, netting four goals by the hour mark.
The game, which had been rescheduled following its abandonment earlier in the season due to a Megan Tindsley injury, saw Liverpool Feds’ Beth Donoghue notch a hat-trick to reduce the four-goal deficit and get Liverpool Feds back into the match.
Chances were few and far between in the first half, but Derby’s Ashton was denied by opposition goalkeeper Jen Handy at the near post following a brilliant mazing run in the early stages.
Rai eventually gave Derby the lead after finding space in the box. The wingback reacted first to Dolcie O’Connor’s corner, tapping the ball beyond Handy into the Liverpool net before halftime.
Derby doubled their lead just two minutes into the second half, courtesy of Wilson.
Wilson received the ball from top scorer Sims, before excellently dispatching the ball into the bottom corner, leaving the goalkeeper Handy no chance.
The Ewes then pushed to extend their lead further, finding a well-deserved third goal in the 54th minute. Captain Sims latched onto a ball over the top of the Liverpool Feds backline before poking the ball beyond Handy with a composed first-time finish.
Derby relentlessly added a fourth in the 60th minute as Ashton slotted into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box to give the Ewes a comfortable lead.
Just two minutes later, a mistake from Anna Draper saw Donoghue pull a goal back for Liverpool Feds, with a clinical finish to tap into an empty net from a tight angle.
Donoghue added a second for the vistors in the 64th minute, as the away side continued to test the Ewes backline.
Ewes goalkeeper Anna Draper did excellently to make a diving save, however, the rebound fell to Donoghue who made no mistake, slotting into the back of the net from close range.
Liverpool Feds notched a third in the final minutes, Donooghue on target once again for her hattrick. But Derby had done enough to seal the points ahead of next week’s final game, away to Burnley at Turf Moor.
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