Boro Women got back to winning ways with a convincing 4-1 victory at Doncaster Rovers Belles.
Nichole Havery’s first-half strike, alongside a brace from Jess Mett and Ellen Turnbull’s first Boro goal was more than enough to nullify Anaia Willoughby’s goal and secure Boro all three points.
Michael Mulhern made four changes from the side that was knocked out of the FAWNL Plate last weekend, bringing back Laura Wareham and Beth Guy alongside Jess Mett and Emma Foster who were given their first starts of the season.
Boro started the game the better side, and had a great opportunity to open the scoring after four minutes when Ellen Turnbull was played into space down the middle, but her lob over the goalkeeper couldn’t dip below the crossbar.
Nichole Havery was next to have a good opportunity, where she was picked out in the box but was met a strong save by the on-rushing Ellie Sharpe.
Boro’s resilience paid off in the 32nd minute, when a deep cross from the right was kept alive by Beth Guy, who played in Nichole Havery and the striker powered past Sharpe, following some great ball control to create space.
Ellen Turnbull, who was voted opposition player of the match by Doncaster, had another chance just before the interval when she powered an effort that just sneaked past the top corner.
Half-Time: Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-1 Middlesbrough
The second half resumed in similar fashion to the first, and Boro doubled the lead in incredible fashion when Jess Mett connected with Eve Marshall in the middle of the field before unleashing an unsaveable rocket straight into the top left corner.
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The Belles started to work the ball around well, and had a few efforts that called Laura Wareham into action but nothing clear-cut.
But it was Boro who found that crucial third goal when a cross from Ellen Turnbull was dummied by Nichole Havery which helped the ball to make its way through to Jess Mett who finished cooly past the goalkeeper to double her tally for the day.
Doncaster did manage to pull a goal back in the 74th minute, when a clearance could only find Anaia Willoughby near the halfway line, who fired a spectacular effort to loop Laura Wareham and give the Belles some hope.
But after a flurry of good Boro opportunities, the game was sealed in the 86th minute when a corner led to a goalmouth scramble, which Ellen Turnbull fired in for her first Boro goal.
Full-Time: Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-4 Middlesbrough
There's no time to relax as Boro Women are back in action on Wednesday evening, returning home to face Chester-Le-Street Town at Stockton Town's MAP Group UK Stadium.
Doncaster Rovers Belles: Sharpe, R. Johnson, Rattenburg, Yates, Housley, Gigg, Abadi, Sneddon (Barlow), Morris (Brown), Breen (Willoughby), Lewis-Powell (Banaszczyk)
Unused Subs: P. Johnson
Middlesbrough: Wareham, Harland (Baker), Wallis, Foster, Packham, Guy (Bell), Burn, Turnbull, Marshall (Robson), Mett, Havery (Donzo)
Unused Subs: Cook