Boro Women edge past Durham Cestria to mark the first win on the board for Michael Mulhern’s side.
The only goal of the game came just before half-time, when a deep corner caused some confusion before being tapped in by Abby Towers.
Mulhern made three changes from Sunday’s line-up, bringing Eve Marshall back in, with Jane Harland and Fran Ward making their first starts of the season.
Boro started the game the better side, and had the first big chance of the game after 12 minutes, when Lauren Robson’s corner went over the goalkeeper, but Fran Ward’s shot was cleared off the line, and Millie Bell’s follow up was well blocked by a Durham defender.
Boro’s next big opportunity came in the 25th minute, when Ellen Turnbull flew down the right wing, with her low cross being met by Eve Marshall, but her powerful effort struck the post.
Three minutes later, the visitors had their first chance of the game when the ball bounced around the area, eventually falling to Faye Dale who fired over the crossbar.
Ellen Turnbull caused her former club problems all game long, and another cross into the box found Eve Marshall, but the striker's effort was well-saved by the goalkeeper.
Boro’s hard work paid off in the 42nd minute, when Lauren Robson’s deep corner bounced off the crossbar, dropping down at the back post before being knocked around the box, and eventually tapped in by Abby Towers to give Boro the lead.
Half-Time: Middlesbrough 1-0 Durham Cestria
The second half got underway in a similar fashion to the first, with chances for both sides. But it was the visitors that had the first big chance of the second half, with Faye Dale breaking through the middle, but her curled effort went wide of the goal.
After 60 minutes, Boro nearly doubled the lead in spectacular fashion when a scuffed clearance from the goalkeeper fell to Jane Harland, whose shot from just inside of the Durham half smashed off the crossbar.
In the 72nd minute Lauren Robson received the ball on the edge of the box, and fired a rocket from outside of the area which was met by a superb diving stop by Anna King in the Cestria goal.
Cestria applied a lot of pressure towards the end of the game, and had a great chance to equalise in added time, but a last-ditch block from Jane Harland stopped a shot heading towards goal, sealing the three points for Boro
Full-Time: Middlesbrough 1-0 Durham Cestria
Next up, on Sunday afternoon, Boro Women head to Garforth to take on Leeds United in hopes of ending their 100% start to the season.
Middlesbrough: Wareham, Wallis, Towers, Packham, Harland, Bell, Burn, Turnbull, Ward, Robson, Marshall
Subs: Cook, Baker, Foster, Donzo, Hindle
Durham Cestria: King, Knowles, Prested, Richardson, Dale, Spraggon, Giles, Neuefeind, K. Donald, Coulson, Mackie
Subs: C. Donald, Atkinson, Green, Rowell