Town bounced back from Sunday's FA Cup exit in the best possible way as the Blues claimed a third East Anglian Derby triumph of the season with a 10-0 victory over rivals Norwich City at Plantation Park on Wednesday night.
Teenage midfielder Eloise King hit a memorable hat-trick, with defender Lucy Egan and top-scorer Natasha Thomas both bagging braces in addition to goals from Zoe Cossey, Anna Grey and substitute Sophie Peskett.
The game started incredibly edgy with both sides trying to gain a foothold in dismal conditions. However, it took just minutes for Town to gain control of the game with Grey in particular causing havoc down the Town left. The England U18 winger, who was Town's standout performer against Manchester City on Sunday, continued her excellent form and fired her side into the lead with twenty minutes on the clock. After a magnificent solo run that saw her glide past multiple Norwich defenders, she took aim from the edge of the area and found the far corner with a perfectly placed strike. Moments later, Town doubled their advantage as Grey this time turned provider for King, who curled the ball past Hope Armstrong from just outside the area.
King was soon at it again and netted her second of the night with an absolute belter. After being teed up by Cossey, the Town number ten let fly with a rasping shot that flew over the head of Armstrong and into the net. Just two minutes later it was four as King added an assist to her two goals on the night by supplying Thomas with an intricate pass and the Town forward made no mistake by touching past Laura Thacker and blasting home. The fifth and final goal of a scintillating half came eight minutes from the break as Blue Wilson's excellent cross was perfectly read by Cossey, who arrived late to lift the ball over the stranded Armstrong.
The Tractor Girls continued to go for the jugular and were awarded a penalty seconds after the restart as former Town defender Jordan Arnoup hacked down Thomas in the area. Paige Peake stepped up but saw her spot-kick rebound off the underside of the crossbar and bounce back out. However, this didn't phase the Ipswich defender as she soon earned as assist to her name after her perfect delivery from a corner found the unmarked Egan to tower high and glance her header through the goalkeeper's legs for her first senior goal for Ipswich Town. After having to wait until this game for her first goal to arrive, just like London busses two came at once as the Town defender netted her second of the evening as she prodded home from a yard after Peake's corner caused chaos in the Norwich area.
The Tractor Girls were straight at it immediately from the Norwich kick-off and scored again almost instantly. Substitute Maddie Biggs held the ball up for King and the Town midfielder fired low underneath Armstrong to confirm her first senior hat-trick for her childhood club. Fellow replacement Peskett soon got in on the action with a superb moment of individual brilliance. The winger drove forward before cutting inside and drilling past the goalkeeper. Town continued to push hard to reach double-figures and came agonisingly close five minutes from time as Paige Wakefield crashed the crossbar with a thunderous effort from distance. Finally, the tremendous tenth goal arrived in added time as Peskett's through-ball into the path of Thomas caused a mistake from the onrushing Armstrong, allowing the Blues' forward to race through and slot into an open net for her 25th goal of the season.
The Tractor Girls remain top of the Women's National League Division One South East table, with a point lead and game in hand over second-placed AFC Wimbledon.
Town: Williamson (GK), Rossiter, Peake, Egan, Hubbard, Wilson (Wakefield), Crump (c), King, Cossey (Biggs), Grey (Peskett), Thomas.
Unused: Cooper (Injured in warmup), Pannifer.
Att: 325
The game started incredibly edgy with both sides trying to gain a foothold in dismal conditions. However, it took just minutes for Town to gain control of the game with Grey in particular causing havoc down the Town left. The England U18 winger, who was Town's standout performer against Manchester City on Sunday, continued her excellent form and fired her side into the lead with twenty minutes on the clock. After a magnificent solo run that saw her glide past multiple Norwich defenders, she took aim from the edge of the area and found the far corner with a perfectly placed strike. Moments later, Town doubled their advantage as Grey this time turned provider for King, who curled the ball past Hope Armstrong from just outside the area.
King was soon at it again and netted her second of the night with an absolute belter. After being teed up by Cossey, the Town number ten let fly with a rasping shot that flew over the head of Armstrong and into the net. Just two minutes later it was four as King added an assist to her two goals on the night by supplying Thomas with an intricate pass and the Town forward made no mistake by touching past Laura Thacker and blasting home. The fifth and final goal of a scintillating half came eight minutes from the break as Blue Wilson's excellent cross was perfectly read by Cossey, who arrived late to lift the ball over the stranded Armstrong.
The Tractor Girls continued to go for the jugular and were awarded a penalty seconds after the restart as former Town defender Jordan Arnoup hacked down Thomas in the area. Paige Peake stepped up but saw her spot-kick rebound off the underside of the crossbar and bounce back out. However, this didn't phase the Ipswich defender as she soon earned as assist to her name after her perfect delivery from a corner found the unmarked Egan to tower high and glance her header through the goalkeeper's legs for her first senior goal for Ipswich Town. After having to wait until this game for her first goal to arrive, just like London busses two came at once as the Town defender netted her second of the evening as she prodded home from a yard after Peake's corner caused chaos in the Norwich area.
The Tractor Girls were straight at it immediately from the Norwich kick-off and scored again almost instantly. Substitute Maddie Biggs held the ball up for King and the Town midfielder fired low underneath Armstrong to confirm her first senior hat-trick for her childhood club. Fellow replacement Peskett soon got in on the action with a superb moment of individual brilliance. The winger drove forward before cutting inside and drilling past the goalkeeper. Town continued to push hard to reach double-figures and came agonisingly close five minutes from time as Paige Wakefield crashed the crossbar with a thunderous effort from distance. Finally, the tremendous tenth goal arrived in added time as Peskett's through-ball into the path of Thomas caused a mistake from the onrushing Armstrong, allowing the Blues' forward to race through and slot into an open net for her 25th goal of the season.
The Tractor Girls remain top of the Women's National League Division One South East table, with a point lead and game in hand over second-placed AFC Wimbledon.
Town: Williamson (GK), Rossiter, Peake, Egan, Hubbard, Wilson (Wakefield), Crump (c), King, Cossey (Biggs), Grey (Peskett), Thomas.
Unused: Cooper (Injured in warmup), Pannifer.
Att: 325
