Saffron Jordon hits four as Blackburn down Doncaster Rovers Belles

Defending Premier North champions Blackburn Ladies got their season off to a flier with a remarkable 9-0 win at Doncaster Belles as Saffron Jordan scored an impressive four goals to kick start the Rovers season.

There were an impressive 52 goals across the opening weekend with thrillers in both divisions.

NORTHERN DIVISION

Blackburn Rovers showed their quality in the Northern Division as they ran riot against Belles.

Leading 5-0 at the break after Kayleigh McDonald struck from a corner, before Jordan completed the rout with a second-half hat-trick to cap a miserable day for the Belles.

Goal scorer and captain Lyndsey Shepherd said: “We have won the league two years on the run, but the worst thing we could have done is become stagnant. We have got to keep pushing on.”

Stoke City Ladies began their season with a 4-0 away win over Hull City as Holly Chipman scored on debut.

Derby County Ladies bounced back from a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Stoke on the final day of last season with an impressive 3-0 victory against Middlesbrough after two first-half goals from Nikki Ledge.

Nottingham Forest hit the right notes to start their season on song by recording a sterling 3-0 over Bradford City women.

Meanwhile, Huddersfield Town Ladies beat Sheffield Ladies 2-0 and Flyde beat Sunderland.

SOUTHERN DIVISION

Goals continued to rain in the Premier South as Loughborough Foxes WFC put seven past Queens Park Rangers Ladies and Portsmouth Ladies breezed past C&K Basildon in a 6-0 away win.

The 2018 FA Premier League Division 1 Champions led the charge when Rebecca McGrowther slotted two past QPR’s keeper Gillian Kasirye before two goals in added time put Loughborough top of the league.

Portsmouth manager Jane Sadler’s 50th game in charge was enough to rouse her Portsmouth troops to an impressive victory as Daisy McLachlan hit a hat-trick and Hannah Geer added a brace.

Elsewhere, Tash Knapman opened her goal scoring account for the season by scoring all four of Plymouth Argyles goals in a lively 4-3 away victory against MK Dons Ladies.

Watford Ladies made a winning start to the season with a high scoring 5-2 win over Cardiff Ladies as Helen Ward struck a hat-trick and Andrea Carid bagged a brace.

And Chichester City Ladies picked up three points against Oxford United while Gillingham Ladies and Coventry Ladies played out a goalless draw.