Derby County Women recorded their first win of the 2023/24 FA Women's National League Northern Premier Division season in style with a 7-1 thrashing of Stourbridge on Sunday.
Derby ran riot in the second half at the War Memorial Athletic Ground to come from a goal behind to pick up all three points.
Sam Griffiths’ Ewes had tasted back-to-back league defeats against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool Feds in their opening two matches, but they were at their ruthless best in a stunning second half performance which saw them score seven times without reply.
Niamh Deasy found the net early on for the newly promoted Glassgirls and last season’s FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands champions led 1-0 at the break after a disappointing 45 minutes from Derby - but they hit back in emphatic style in the second period.
Charlotte Steggles equalised before the hour mark and Maria Timms and Amy Sims hit a quickfire double to have Derby in front by the 70th minute.
Captain Sims added another before substitute Eleanor Ashton netted twice, with an Emelia Wilson strike sandwiched inbetween, to round off a fine afternoon’s work.
The result was a strong reminder of what the Ewes are capable of when they’re on top of their game.
“We Want To Be The Team That Turned Up In The Second Half” - Griffiths
Manager Sam Griffiths admitted to having ‘split emotions’ after the final whistle despite the resounding 7-1 win.
She felt the Ewes’ first half showing was significantly below par as they went in a goal down at the break.
The half-time interval allowed Derby to re-group and switch formation and Griffiths was pleased with the way her side responded in the second half to put their opponents to the sword.
Griffiths said: “I said to girls afterwards, I had split emotions at full-time to be honest.
“The most important thing was getting the three points, which we did, but we can’t get away from the fact that our first half performance wasn’t to the level of where we want to be.
“It was brilliant to come back and score seven goals in the second half, but it is important we reflect on the first half too.
“We got a reaction at the break and made a slight change in our formation. Whether it was that which changed things or the girls turning up individually and collectively - reaching their standards, playing with intensity, heart and desire combined with a bit of quality - we’ll have to look at that.”
With the first win of the season on the board, Griffiths added: “I know what this group can do and they are a great set of girls. It’s nice that we got seven goals and there were a number of different goalscorers too.
“We definitely want to be the team that turned up in the second half, not the first half.
“It’s good we’ve got a few different formations in our back pocket that we can turn to if needed. That can work around the opposition we face and how we can best exploit their weaknesses.”
“I Felt I Had A Point To Prove” - Timms
Summer signing Maria Timms admitted she had ‘a point to prove’ on her first league start of the season.
Timms, who arrived from West Bromwich Albion in July, had been on the bench for the Ewes’ opening two league outings of the 2023/24 season before being named in the backline for the clash with Stourbridge.
While she was happy with her own performance, Timms was first and foremost delighted to see Derby pick up all three points.
Timms said: “The first half was not good, but in the second half we played so much better.
“We struggled in a number of ways in the first half. We had a chat at half time and tried to pick each other up. We saw in the second half with the positivity we displayed and by supporting and encouraging each other more that it can make a real difference.
“Sam stressed that we needed to compete for each other to get the three points. We wanted to show for the coaches too that we could work as a team and get the result.
“We changed formation and while that helped, I don’t think it was the only reason. Like I said earlier, we were more positive, better with our passes, got forward more and showed we wanted it more and proved we can be top competitors in this league.
“The win is really important for us and especially going into the game against Newcastle next weekend. We’ll be up for it and up for a fight; we know we’ll have to work hard if we’re to get a win.”
On her performance, Timms added: “I’m so happy and I was pleased to get a goal. I’ve not been starting recently so I felt like I had something to prove. I felt I needed to do well and I am happy with my performance.”
