ALL THE THREE’S! The Tigresses made it 3 from 3 in the FAWNL with a 3-0 win over Doncaster Belles at the Easy Buy

Two goals from Hope Knight that sandwiched another from Helen Lynskey, with an extra helping of rocket (and sweet chilli sauce, and onion?)

After a stonkingly hot day in Humberside, the night game had just enough cool tones to allow for a fiercely competitive and high output game from the two sides on Thursday evening.

The visitors, hungry to rectify the weekends result, were aggressive from the off. A dangerous mix of physicality, fitness and high quality direct play tested City in the opening stages. A test that was duly met through the first half. The Belles moved the ball across both sides of the pitch well enough but failed to create any clear openings in the first half that truly tested Wallace and her wall

Then the Tiger pounced. Good build up play, starting in one box, ended in the other. Wallace, Jackman, Lynskey, Hunt and Dawson all combining to move the ball across and back again under the lights. As Dawson first rides a challenge and finds Hunt again, who expertly drives in to the feet of Knight, who turns, beating two before slotting home in to the far post

15 minutes later the lead had been doubled. The City press forced a long ball that was cut out, within 2 passes it was in the back of the net – Hunt in to the feet of Knight who rolled her marker before picking out Lynskey – Helen, currently in a goal of the season competition with herself, had already powered an effort high over the keeper from 25 yards.

HT 2-0

Second half was more cagey throughout. In the opening minutes Wallace was called upon for her only real save of the game, but it had to be a good one. Adjusting feet and body, she flung her frame across to the furthest corner to deny Belles hopes of a comeback, turning the ball around the post

City felt they should have had a penalty when, in the mix of a GK spill from a ball delivered in to the box, Knight had her legs hugged and trapped denying a tap in. Corner only. The hosts then followed this up with a disallowed goal for, what in the moment looked like a tight offside.

Belles then looked to grow in to the game again, adding more firepower and asking a few more questions of the City line with long and direct play – questions that were routinely ticked off by the whole unit

As the game wound down, the City chances increased, but it was on 90th minute that the cherry was popped atop the cake. Brookes (on for Thompson) turned her marker and drove deep in to the box, her cut back found Brierley to clipped a delicate cross to the 6 yard box where Knight could tap home her 5th of the season, and City’s 3rd of the night

Chris Hames: “I was really pleased with tonight. We played a tough side, who asked a lot of different questions throughout the game, and we stood up and dealt with them throughout the 90 minutes. We needed a full squad effort, with an early changed forced after Tillie went off, then Ruby coming off, and tactically to bring Shay and Chlo in there too, everyone, the whole 15 stepped up to get the win, and the performance

Again I saw some identity, and alot of intention in our play – which is nice as it shows that much of what we are doing is not through luck or just one/two moments of magic, but it is how we want to play, our principles”

City are back at it again on Sunday, travelling up to newly promoted Chester-Le-Street Town, before returning to the Easy Buy next Sunday at home to Norton