Moors Ladies continued their excellent form with a thumping 5-2 derby win over Bishop Auckland at EDC’s Houghall Campus in Durham on Sunday afternoon.
Riding high on the back of their 4-1 thrashing of Gateshead in the County Cup, Billy Shackleton’s side showed their growing confidence with a dominant performance against Bishop.
It took just 13 minutes for Moors to find the breakthrough when Hannah Knox whipped a dangerous free-kick into the box which was turned into the net by a luckless visiting defender.
Four minutes later it was 2-0 when Autumn Colledge slipped Sophie Farrugia through on goal and she tucked away her third goal of the season to double Moors’ lead.
To their credit, Bishop reacted positively and began to get a foothold in the game, pulling a goal back midway through the first half after a neat move.
The visitors then shocked Moors with an equaliser on 41 minutes when the Bishop striker calmly rounded keeper Nicole Scott to make it 2-2.
However, Moors did take a lead into the break when Autumn Colledge raced through the Bishop defence before setting up Farrugia to net her second of the afternoon.
Just after the restart, Moors took a stranglehold on the game when Courtney Mole’s free-kick was blocked on the line by a defender’s hand. A red card was produced and Autumn Colledge made it 4-2 from the penalty spot.
Moors continue to apply the pressure, with Chloe Wymer and Katy Hemmingway both going close before the fifth goal did arrive on 82 minutes. Hemmingway was involved as she slipped a ball into Player of the Match Autumn Colledge who capped a fine performance with a goal.
Moors now sit fifth in the NERWFL Northern Division following back-to-back wins in the league and boss Shackleton is urging his players to maintain the momentum.
“It’s a great run,” he told us.
“We’ve been working towards getting a bit of consistency in our results and three wins from three in all competitions is a fantastic platform to build upon.”
Next up, Moors Ladies are back at The Brewery Field this coming Sunday when they play host to Chester-le-Street United in a 2pm kick-off. Admission is £3 for adults and free for Under-12s.
Full Time: Moors Ladies 5 Bishop Auckland Ladies 2