Exeter City Ladies moved up to second in the South West Women’s Football League Premier Division with a 5-2 win over Bishops Lydeard.
The Grecians went into the match knowing that they would leapfrog their opponents in the table with a victory and started off in determined fashion with three goals inside the opening quarter 20 minutes.
The first came after 10 minutes when player-manager Abbie Britton took a quick free-kick to play Daniella Tyson in on goal and she expertly chipped a shot over the advancing keeper to open the scoring.
Two minutes later and City had extended their advantage as Sophie Gillies threaded a pass into the run of Britton who fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Lifted by their fast start, the Grecians continued to push forward and as Tyson fizzed a ball into the feet of Gillies she did well to trap the ball before firing right foot shot low into the bottom corner.
Bishops grew into the game as it went on, with former City players Nicola Brown and Amber Guy-Kemp impressing, but they could have been four down inside the opening half hour had the linesman’s flag not gone up to deny Gillies a second as she tapped home following a Kelsie Miller shot that had been fumbled by the keeper.
A fourth goal did come before the break though as another ball over the top of the defence found Britton through on goal and she, like Tyson, lifted a shot over the keeper to score.
Bishops, to their credit, kept going in the second half with Brown playing in a more advanced role to help them get on the ball higher up the pitch.
And it was from a high press that they got their opening goal of the match as one of their attackers closed down a clearance from Sharpe which wrong-footed the home keeper and rolled into the net.
Georgie Barbour-Gresham, who was a threat from corners all game, then got City back on track as she powered a header towards the line. A Bishops defender produced a good block but the ball dropped kindly for Gillies and she volleyed home her second of the match.
A minute later though and Bishops had another goal as their attacker stole the ball high up the pitch before firing home. City remained comfortably in control of the match though and were unfortunate to not win by a bigger margin with Jazz Hervin also having a couple of long-range efforts tipped onto the crossbar by the visiting keeper.
Exeter City: Rhiannon Dumper, Ella Mae Miller, Manfy Sharpe, Emily Toogood, Kelsie Miller, Georgie Barbour-Gresham, Jazz Hervin, Daniella Tyson, Zoe Watkins, Abbie Britton, Sophie Gillies. Subs: Jana Richards, Erin Romanowski, Billie Denny, Dani Skinner.