Derby County Women produced a five-star display on the road against Doncaster Rovers Belles to reach Round Two of the 2023/24 FA Women’s National League Plate on Sunday afternoon.
Sam Griffiths’ side were 5-0 winners against the National League Division One North outfit to safely avoid a cup upset.
Derby stormed into an early lead through forward Marli Rhodes-Andrews, with just three minutes on the clock, and she went on to double the Ewes’ lead at the midway point of the half.
Midfielder Rebecca May netted her first goal in Derby colours, following her recent arrival from Manchester United, on the half hour mark before defender Maria Timms made it four before the break with a stunning strike.
Derby added a late fifth when defender Sarah Jackson netted her first goal for the club from distance to round off a comprehensive victory.
The win was the perfect way to set up the Ewes ahead of Sunday’s trip to the City Ground Nottingham Forest when they return to league action (2pm kick-off).
“The Most Important Thing Was To Get Into The Next Round” - Griffiths
Manager Sam Griffiths was pleased to see her side safely secure their spot in the Second Round of the National Plate.
The Ewes have found opposition from lower divisions a tough nut to crack in previous years in cup competitions, but Griffiths was happy with the way the Ewes quickly put themselves in the driving seat.
She felt that Marli Rhodes-Andrews’ early goal was vital in not offering any sort of encouragement to Doncaster and also providing Derby with a strong platform to build on.
She said: “It was important we came here and progressed through to the next round, which is what we’ve managed to do.
“We kept a clean sheet and got ourselves five goals too, so overall I am happy.
“Historically, we’ve struggled against teams from a lower division in the cups and made it a bit of a scrap, so it was important we got that early goal.
“It was key to come here and adopt the right mentality, which I think we did. We got the early goal and that helped settle us down a bit.”
She added: “We were 4-0 up at half-time and we knew they’d try and be more solid in the second half. We would have loved a few more goals, but to come away and score five, as well as keeping a clean sheet, is pleasing - and we know there’s still things for us to work on.”
Griffiths was encouraged to see the likes of forward Rhodes-Andrews, club captain Hannah Ward, recent signing Rebecca May and long-serving goalkeeper Sarah Morgan get match minutes from the off while defender Ella Hilliard made her long-awaited return after injury as a substitute.
She said: “It was a chance to give some players on the fringes, or those that have been out injured, the opportunity to get some match minutes, which is always important.
“Marli and Rebecca have been out for a bit, so it was good to give them some minutes, as well as Ella after a long time out.”
“Getting A Goal Was A Nice Little Bonus!” - Jackson
Sarah Jackson rounded off the scoring against Doncaster with her first Derby County goal - and she was delighted to contribute to the resounding away win.
The defender felt the cup clash, against a side from a lower division, was the perfect opportunity to build up confidence in the group ahead of next weekend's local derby at Nottingham Forest.
Reflecting on the Ewes’ one win and three defeats in the league, Jackson believes the side’s performances have warranted a better points return so far.
After hitting five goals without reply against Doncaster, she felt Derby navigated themselves into the Second Round in a positive manner.
Jackson said: “The first half was really good and scoring early on eased us into the game. It was a cup tie, so to score five goals, keep a clean sheet and get through to the next round is something we can’t be unhappy with.
“The early goal was massive for us and we said that beforehand as a group. The longer it goes without scoring, it gives encouragement to the opposition, so it was really important to get us up and running.”
She added: “Winning games is massive for confidence. We’ve dropped a few points in the league games so far, sometimes undeservedly after some good performances, so this game was a chance to build the confidence because we’ve deserved more than what we’ve had this season.”
Looking back on her first goal in Derby colours following her arrival in 2019, Jackson was delighted to finally get her name on the scoresheet.
She joked: “I’ve been here four seasons and not scored, so it was nice to finally get one! I drove forward a bit and no-one pressed me, so I thought I’d get a shot away.
“That said, I am happy with the clean sheet too. That’s what I am here for as a defender, but the goal was a nice little bonus.”