Burnley Women beat Middlesbrough to stay top and claim 10th straight victory

Goals from Thea Paul, Charley Docherty and Charlie Chadwick ensured a 3-1 victory following their Sunday afternoon trip Teesside.

With Wolves Women thrashing Liverpool Feds 5-1, it means the Clarets remain top by a single point having played a game more.

Lou Roberts named an unchanged starting XI from last week’s 1-0 victory at Rugby Borough, with Kirstie Levell in goal and Yana Daniëls retaining the captain’s armband.

Last week’s winner Chadwick started up front alongside Claudia Walker, with Millie Chandarana and Millie Ravening providing the midfield grit.

Levell produced a fine save with just six minutes on the clock, getting down low to her left to turn Abby Holmes’ bouncing half volley around the post.

That stop proved vital as the Clarets broke the deadlock nine minutes later. It was a slightly fortuitous moment for Paul, with Boro ‘keeper Megan Borthwick unable to stop her powerful cross from flying in.

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Docherty‘s inch-perfect cut back was turned narrowly wide of the left-hand post by Ravening shortly after the half hour, but the former made no mistake to double the lead soon afterwards.

A lovely team move saw Paul slide in Chadwick, and the striker’s ball across the face of goal gave Docherty a tap in for her third goal of the season.

Jade Richards later forced a smart save from Borthwick and Boro threatened twice on the counterattack, but it was 2-0 at the half-time interval.

The Clarets had all of the attacking play after the restart, with Walker shooting straight at the Boro ‘keeper from 18 yards before Chadwick made it three on the hour.

In what was another slick team move Walker fed Docherty, and the right wing-back squared for our number 19 to finish high into the net for her 13th of the season.

Roberts then turned to her bench for the first time, replacing Docherty, Matthews and Walker with Aimee Kelly, Naomi Hartley and Mel Lawley respectively.

The hosts pulled a goal back through Holmes’ instinctive finish with 10 minutes of regular time remaining and that seemed to breathe extra life into our opponents and the home crowd.

Roberts responded with fresh legs in midfield in the form of Louise McDaniel, and Lawley and Richards both had efforts charged down in search of a fourth goal.

The latter was then forced to hook the ball off her own goal line in stoppage-time but despite the slight scare, the Clarets saw out what was a comfortable victory in the end.

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