Belles win to ease pressure ahead of tough run of fixtures

With the wet weather again preventing play at Thorne Colliery, the game was switched to the 3G pitch at the Eco-Power Stadium and the value of the back-up facility cannot be understated.

It was the third home game Belles have had to re-schedule at the venue since just before Christmas.

Belles have won all three of those games and, equally important, have avoided a fixture backlog.

Captain Jess Tugby-Andrew fired Belles ahead with a long-range free-kick.

Jasmine Saxton also scored twice late on, her first a penalty, as Belles recorded the double over their opponents and also registered a first FAWNL clean sheet of the season.

Victory lifted Belles on to 17 points from 13 games, 10 points clear of the relegation places - providing invaluable breathing space as well as a confidence boost ahead of the next four league fixtures, three of which are against the current top three teams.

Belles visit Barnsley Women Reserves in the Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA Women’s Cup this Sunday.

The semi-final tie is, like all of Belles’ previous games in this season’s competition, a potential banana skin.

Belles overcame Barnsley’s first team 1-0 a year ago en route to last season’s final.

Holders Huddersfield Town host Handsworth in the other semi-final.

Weather permitting, Belles host Hull City at Thorne’s Iqbal Poultry Stadium next Wednesday (7.45pm) but there is always the back-up of the 3G at the Eco-Power.

Hull, currently third and pushing strongly for promotion, won 3-0 when the teams met earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, Belles’ away game against current leaders Middlesbrough on Sunday, March 10, is due to be played at the Riverside Stadium.

*Harworth Colliery boosted their chances of North East League Southern Division survival thanks to a 2-1 home win over bottom team Ripon City.

Kat Cunliffe and Georgia Walker-Ellis scored for Harworth with former Belles striker Chloe Bethell on target for Ripon.

Harworth are currently 10th (of 12) and need to climb a place to be safe.