Doncaster Rovers Belles find scoring touch following arrival of midfielder from Barnsley

An impressive display saw Belles four goals to the good at the interval and they could easily have improved on their eventual five-goal margin.

Jasmine Saxton opened and closed the scoring with the other goals coming from Jess Andrew (pen), Charlotte Dinsdale and Nadia Khan.

First team coach Nick Buxton was full of praise for the performance, while his comments also included the caveat of “anyone can beat anyone in this league".

That’s a fact no better exemplified by Belles losing 5-2 at home to leaders Lincoln City just three days after Lincoln had suffered an unexpected but potentially very significant defeat against newly-promoted Leek back in August.

Buxton’s comments included praise for Lindsey Tugby, recently signed from Barnsley.

The dynamic midfielder’s displays are inevitably full of energy and Belles have already benefited in the few games she has played, winning their last two games 3-0 and 5-0. Their previous wins this season had all been by just a single goal.

Belles last netted five when they recorded the same score in a home win over Solihull Moors in February 2020, a result subsequently voided due to the season not being able to be completed due to Covid-19.

Belles are currently third in the FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands table. They are behind Boldmere St Michael on goal difference, with both teams on 16 points from seven games and five points behind leaders Lincoln who have played eight of their scheduled 24 fixtures.

Meanwhile, Belles have been drawn at home to Nottingham Forest in the first round of the FAWNL Plate, a tie which will be played on Sunday, November 7.

Forest’s team is likely to include former Belles players in goalkeeper Emily Batty, plus defenders Lyndsey Harkin and Olivia Cook.