Ipswich Town Women made it back-to-back wins to start their season after comfortably seeing off Billericay Town 3-0 at New Lodge on Sunday.
Maddie Biggs, Paige Peake and Sophie Peskett were all on target for the impressive Tractor Girls, who have enjoyed an excellent start to the 2020/21 Women’s National League season by defeating two promotion contenders.
Town started brightly and could have been ahead inside ten minutes but, after Eloise King’s shot deflected into the path of Natasha Thomas, the latter saw her low shot saved at close-range by the imposing Alex Baker. The Billericay ‘keeper was soon called into action again as this time she denied Peskett at her near-post.
The hosts started to grow into the game as the half went on and were unlucky not to take the lead as Hannah Porter’s goal-bound header deflected over the bar. Moments later, Porter glanced another header wide from the resulting corner. However, four minutes from the break, the Tractor Girls dealt a hammer blow to the buoyed hosts and took the lead in remarkable style. Just as she had done in the previous meeting between the two sides last September, Peake drove her corner-kick into the area and the ball sailed directly over the head of Baker to break the deadlock.
Town boss Joe Sheehan introduced summer signing Georgia Allen at half-time and it didn’t take long for the former England U21 international to make an impact on her debut. After driving forward from midfield, Allen found Peskett with a perfectly-weighted through-ball and the pacey winger duly obliged by nudging the ball past the helpless Baker. Five minutes later it was three as another substitute in the form of Biggs was at the forefront. This time Peskett turned provider as her excellent cross was neatly turned home in the six-yard box by the arriving Town number 9.
Billericay looked to manufacture a response and nearly got themselves a consolation goal but Lucy Williamson thwarted the Essex side with an excellent reactionary save.
Town weren’t done and were going for the jugular, with Biggs unlucky not to add to her tally after initially striking the post and firing the subsequent rebound wide. Allen was next to go close as she latched on to Peake’s long-ball but Baker denied the Town midfielder a debut goal. Moments later the crossbar came to Billericay’s aid as Biggs was denied after attempting to lift the ball over the head of Baker.
The chances continued to stack up and soon Lucy Egan was cursing her luck as she headed Peake’s corner just over the bar. Billericay would have one final chance for a consolation goal but Williamson was on hand to protect her clean sheet. Finally, the Tractor Girls were denied a spectacular fourth as Abbie Lafayette’s hooked effort came back off the crossbar, with Zoe Barratt unable to follow up from close-range.
Town would ultimately see out the game comfortably and return home to Suffolk with three points in the bag.
Town: Williamson (GK), Boswell, Peake, Cooper (Allen), Hubbard (c), Egan, Lafayette, King (Barratt), Peskett, Grey, Thomas (Biggs).
Unused: Meollo (GK), Rossiter.
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