The Belles impress at the Den

It was the visitors who started brightest and immediately set about testing the Lionesses defence. Sue Smith was first to threaten as she broke into the area, only to see her chipped cross headed away within the opening seconds.

Three minutes in and the Belles were ahead. Courtney Sweetman-Kirk was set free down the left and cut inside before curling a superb effort past Sarah Quantrill.

Chances were coming thick and fast in an end-to-end games. After the Belles could only clear a free-kick to the edge of the area, Danielle Carlton’s drive was narrowly wide. Bethany England then tried her luck from similar range for the visitors, only to see her effort go high and wide.

England didn’t have to wait long to get on the scoresheet, though. Good pressing from Lipka on the edge of the hosts’ area saw a defender squander possession, giving England the space to slide the ball past Quantrill from close range.

The Belles were in the ascendancy, with the front three of Smith, England and Sweetman-Kirk causing the home defence no end of problems. Smith had a couple of efforts from distance which went narrowly over, before she finally got herself on the scoresheet five minutes before half-time. After a good move, Sweetman-Kirk broke into the area and unselfishly squared the ball to Smith. She made enough contact to see the ball trickle over the line past Quantrill’s trailing leg.

A three-goal lead at the interval was a fair reflection of the game, and Glen Harris’ side looked to continue the second half in a similar attacking fashion. After a period of sustained pressure, a corner from Sophie Barker was met by Leandra Little six yards out, and only a superb reflex save from Quantrill stopped the skipper from getting on the scoresheet.

Millwall seemed intent to press forward in the second half, with the pace of Babajide and Gibbons meaning they were a constant threat. Chances were at a premium for the hosts, however, as the Belles defended well and snuffed out any potential danger.

Glen Harris introduced Emily Roberts with just over twenty minutes remaining, and her first touch was a decisive one. Her perfectly weighted pass set Sweetman-Kirk free, and the striker coolly rounded Quantrill and walked the ball into the net to secure her brace.

As the game ticked into its final seconds, another substitute got in on the act for the Belles. The Millwall defence froze as Sweetman-Kirk was in an offside position, but they neglected the run of Nicole Dale. The striker raced onto the loose ball and, one-on-one with Quantrill, kept her composure to fire home and top off a five star performance from the league leaders.

The win keeps the Belles top of FA WSL 2 and, with only five games remaining, promotion is firmly in sight.

Millwall Lionesses

Megan Goss, Sarah Quantrill, Danielle Carlton, Ashlee Hincks, Ciara Sherwood, Leanne Cowan, Meghan McKeag, Naomi Cole, Rinsola Babajide, Dionne Lennon, Fliss Gibbons

Doncaster Rovers Belles Goal Scorers: England 16′, Sweetman – Kirk 3′,70′, Smith 39′, Dale 89′

Report By Mark Donnelly/Doncaster Rovers Belles