Exeter City Women got the season off to a perfect start with a strong performance to see off the visiting MK Dons on Sunday - a win that takes the Grecians top of the division after match day one.
Sarah Stacey scored City's first ever tier three goal from the penalty spot before a Sophie Gillies brace and Emily Toogood's header had Abbie Britton's side 4-0 up at the interval. Gillies completed her hat-trick after the break before Stacey and the new captain, Bow Jackson, added gloss to an already impressive opening day scoreline.
Britton named Stacey and Gillies as her leading ladies up top for the club's third tier debut, while new signing Jade Grove was named on the bench. Indeed, all eleven starters featured in City's promotion winning campaign last season, highlighting Britton's confidence in little-changed squad.
The two teams exchanged early chances; Stacey’s effort smothered by Dons' goalkeeper Anna Draper before a testing cross saw a shot fly over Abbi Bond’s crossbar. Sophie Gillies forced a smart save from Draper as she turned to convert an incisive Beth Ireland pass, the Grecians now beginning to assert themselves on the game.
The chance for the lead came at 17 minutes, Amber Pollock first to react to a loose ball in the penalty area and she was felled by a lunging MK boot. Stacey stepped up to fire the ball into the bottom left corner of the net and City were ahead.
Ishbel Zuurmond glided through midfield to release Stacey, the forward hitting her shot low towards the waiting Draper when the pass to Gillies looked the better option. MK then put the City defence under their first spell of pressure with some testing set piece deliveries, a series of defensive blocks preventing Bond from having to make a save.
With the early congestion in midfield now cleared, Zoe Cunningham found space on the turn and played a defence splitting pass to Gillies, the City forward shaking off the defender before slotting past Draper to double the lead.
The Grecians' front two were proving a constant threat and when Stacey nodded a long pass into the path of Gillies there only looked one likely outcome, the forward finding the corner of the goal from a tight angle to make it three.
The Dons were nearly creators of their own problem, a loose back pass just drifting beyond the post with Draper stranded. The reprieve would prove short lived, Cunningham’s corner nodded into the top corner by Emily Toogood to make it four at half time.
Pollock was enjoying the open spaces that the visiting defence were offering, she raced towards goal once more before seeing her effort claimed at her near post by Draper. The City left was too consistent a threat not to bring a reward and it duly came after an hour of play. Cunningham cushioned the ball into the path of Toogood and her pass released Pollock, the left wing-back sliding the ball across goal for Gillies to tap home for her hat trick and the Grecians fifth.
Another set piece brought a sixth, Georgie Barbour-Gresham heading back across goal and Stacey in the right place to convert the loose ball over the line. Barbour-Gresham nearly had a goal of her own from a replica corner routine, this time Draper saving smartly on her line.
Stacey clipped a one-on-one chance over the crossbar, before Becky Dandridge’s through ball for debutant Jade Grove was not met with enough power to test Draper further.
Ireland cut inside the visiting defence before releasing a left footed effort that was stopped by the busy Draper, the City midfielder dragging an effort wide a minute later as the home side hunted for more goals.
The Grecians would end the afternoon with a seventh, Dandridge recycling the loose ball to set the on-rushing Toogood away, her cross was flicked towards the back post by the head of Stacey and arrived just in time to tap home.
A convincing afternoon for Abbie Britton’s side, with goals and three points in the team’s first venture into tier three. Yet, such is the transition happening with the visitors squad this summer, there will be no illusions that tougher tests are to come.
Next up for the Grecians is a trip to Sussex next Sunday to face newly relegated Lewes at the Dripping Pan.
City: Bond (GK), Jackson (c), Toogood, Seaman, Sandland, Ireland, Stacey, Zuurmond, Cunningham, Gillies, Pollock.
Subs: Giles (GK), Grove, Jones, Beck, Watkins, Barbour-Gresham, Dandridge.
MK Dons: Draper (GK), Tinnelly, Dalton, O.Welham, Anslow, Chambers, Jacovides, Omenazu, M.Welham, Byron, Gregory.
Subs: Tymon, Oshodi, Le Tallec, Rimington, Jackson, Appleton, Wootton.
Attendance; 950