FAWNL Opening Weekend

Not the most successful of Sunday's for the teams of the Northeast but on the plus side club football and the nine months of highs, lows and everything in between the season brings with it got back underway today so, without further ado, the highlights of opening day. 

Tier 5
North West Regional Football League - Premier Division

Mancunian Unity got their season underway with a trip to Poolfoot Farm to face Fleetwood Town Wrens, a team who took 4 points off Unity last season. 

New signings Izzy Kershaw and Libby Taylor make the Unity starting 11 with fellow new signings Emily Owens and Harriet Purslow named as substitutes. 

And it was Purslow on her debut who secured 3 points for Unity with an 82nd minute strike finding the bottom corner. 

Fleetwood Town Wrens 0 - 1 Mancunian Unity

Tier 4
FA Women's National League Division 1 Southeast

A winning start for Norwich City Women, managed by former Newcastle United Women assistant head coach Andy Cook. 

A highlight reel worthy 23rd minute strike from Ellie Bishop sent the home side in to the half-time break with a 1-0 lead. Picking up the ball on the outside of the box, Bishop rifled a shot towards goal which was judged to have gone over the line after rattling the crossbar.

Only six minutes into the second half winger Holly Kennard intercepted a clearance from the Actonians keeper and fired home into an empty net from roughly 25 yards out to double the lead. 

The 70th minute saw a straight red for Actonians captain Jennie Brereton for bringing down Natasha Snelling, the last Norwich player through on goal. Snelling made it 3-0 with an 86th minute tap in and a Grace Riglar penalty in the 91st minute made it 4-0. 

AFC Sudbury 1 - 5 Chatham Town
Chesham United 0 - 4 London Bees
Fulham 2 - 1 Cambridge United
Luton Town 3 - 1 Dulwich Hamlet
MK Dons 0 - 7 Queens Park Rangers
Norwich City 4 - 0 Actonians 

FA Women's National League Division 1 North

A start for former Lady Mag Nicki Gears for Durham Cestria along with Cestria's leading scorer from last season Daisy Clarke as they travelled to York City for their opener. 

Impressive piece of wing play from Gears in the opening minutes beating two York defenders but her attempt to play in Grace Collinson was cut out. 

Following a 7th minute opener for the home side numerous chances for Cestria in the following 20 minutes but they couldn't quite get the ball over the line for an equaliser. 

A Fran Ward free kick on 35 minutes wasn't able to pick out a blue shirt despite getting beyond the York keeper, Cestria still pushing for an equaliser. 

Big save from the Cestria keeper in the 43rd minute to prevent York going 2-0 up but it was 2-0 only a minute later. 

Early chance for Cestria at the start of the second half, Lucy Noble narrowly clearing the bar from the edge of the box. A 53rd minute Grace Foster chip was impressively tipped on to the bar by the York keeper. 

Breakthrough for Cestria did come just after the hour mark, half-time sub Faye Dale pulling one back on the 65th minute. A penalty area scramble almost saw an 94th minute equaliser via own goal but it finished York City 2 - 1 Durham Cestria. 

A debut clean sheet for former NUW Dev's keeper Elen Valentine as Norton & Stockton Ancients hosted Georgia Gibson's Chester-le-Street Town. The only goal of the game coming very late on, an 87th minute iwnner from another ex-NUW player Bianca Owens. 

Following their drop from tier 2 to tier 4, a losing start for Blackburn Rovers, going 0-2 down to last season's second place side Cheadle Town Stingers.

Blackburn Rovers 0 - 2 Cheadle Town Stingers
Huddersfield Town 3 - 0 Doncaster Rovers Belles 
Leeds United 1 - 1 Chorley
Norton & Stockton Ancients 1 - 0 Chester-le-Street Town
Stockport County 5 - 0 Wythenshawe
York City 2 - 1 Durham Cestria

Tier 3
FA Women's National League Northern Premier Division

Not the start to life in tier 3 that Middlesbrough would've hoped for. 

Congratulations to Liv Watt who, in her 50th appearance for Boro, wore the captain's armband. Joining Watt in the starting 11 were former NUW players goal keeper Megan Borthwick, Ellen Packham, Ellen Turnbull, Lauren Robson, Leanna Giles, Millie Bell, Becky Ferguson and Grace Boyes. Amongst the substitutes Keira Skelton & Erin Nelson. 

1-0 for Burnley after nine minutes and the lead doubled on 27. A well timed tackle from Millie Bell broke up a Burnley attack just past the half hour then Boro's closest chance to opening their account for the season, a Liv Watt chance cleared off the line. 

Burnley made it 3 right on the stroke of half time. 

Nelson for Robson at half time then a 4th for the hosts seven minutes into the second half. 

An injury to Borthwick forced Boro into a second half substitution, hopefully nothing serious, and a further substitution was required due to a Liv Watt injury. I understand this was more precautionary than anything so hopefully she won't be out long.

Erin Nelson almost set up Armani Maxwell in the closing minutes but it wasn't to be. Burnley wrapped things up with a minute to go. 

Having turned professional this summer and acquired manager Matt Beard from Liverpool, Burnley are going to be a force in the division this season. Nothing to be too disheartened about for Boro, their first win will come. 

Sophie Haywood started for Hull City in a 1-0 win against Halifax whilst Sharna Wilkinson was, I believe, an unused sub in a 3-1 win against Sporting Khalsa.

Burnley 5 - 0 Middlesbrough
Hull City 1 - 0 Halifax
Liverpool Feds 0 - 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 
Loughborough 1 - 1 West Bromwich Albion
Stoke City 3 - 1 Sporting Khalsa
Rugby Borough 6 - 0 Derby County

FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division

A clean sheet and a winning start to the season for Naomi Bedeau's Oxford United who beat Gwalia United 0-1, Bedeau has been named captain for this season. 

AFC Bournemouth 7 - 0 Billericay Town
AFC Wimbledon 1 - 2 Real Bedford
Cheltenham Town 0 - 2 Exeter City
Gwalia United 0 - 1 Oxford United
Lewes 0 - 0 Watford

Plymouth Argyle 3 - 0 Hashtag United

Scotland

Bridget Galloway was named on the bench in her first competitive match for Aberdeen. Not the start she may have been hoping for, a 5-1 loss to Hibernian  although a notable point from the match, it's not often you seen both sides score an own goal in the same match. 

SWPL 1

Glasgow City 3 - 0 Motherwell
Hearts 1 - 2 Celtic
Montrose 1 - 6 Rangers
Hamilton Academical 1 - 2 Partick Thistle
Hibernian 5 - 1 Aberdeen

Finally, in what may be the highlight of the day, after football social media made headlines for all the wrong reasons at the back end of the week when Kilmarnock were forced to take down posts referring to 16 year old Skye Stout signing her first professional contract due to some horrendous comments that I won't repeat here, Stout silenced the trolls this afternoon getting an assist for Killie's 3rd and firing in a free kick from the edge of the box for the 4th goal on the way to a 6-2 win over St Johnstone. Huge congratulations Skye.