A small 1st team squad made the journey north for the League opener against newly promoted Buxton JFC Ladies at Sterndale Moor. True to form, it started to rain on arrival and steady rain rain throughout the first half made for a slick playing surface.

We welcomed back Fran Critchley-Watson after signing last week - which was just as well with the number of absentees she was our solitary substitute - and she was called on sooner than expected when Hannah Roberts suffered a recurrence of an ankle injury after only 8 minutes.

By then, Pride had a 0-1 lead courtesy of Daisy Bowen who opened her account after 5 minutes, following in to score after the keeper could only parry Emily Hayden’s shot.

The first chance of the game had already come to Buxton after only 3 minutes when Jade Howell pulled off a very good save to turn a shot onto the post and, on the floor, gather the rebound.

Pride went on to make most of the running with, at times, some good football, creating a string of chances - but having to be alert to the danger posed by Buxton’s strikers, as demonstrated on 13 minutes when a striker got goal side of The Pride defence and through for a shot - Jade Howell made a good initial save, but was unfortunate that the ball ricocheted back off the striker and in to level the scores [1-1].

Daisy Bowen restored Pride’s lead three minutes later, side-stepping the keeper to finish after being put through by Beth Jones. Jones scored Pride’s third on 22 minutes - hitting a shot across the keeper and in off the far post after being played in by Tash Allderidge. The threat from Buxton remained on the break, however, and Jade Howell’s good starting position on 23 minute’s enabled her to gather in a shot from the striker.

It was 1-4 after 27 minutes as Daisy Bowen completed her hat-trick, finishing from close range from Beth Jones’ pass. With no further score for either side at half-time remained 1-4.

A sweet spell of 15-20 minutes early in the second half, during which Pride scored a further three goals in 12 minutes, settled the contest. A sweeping move of six passes that started at left back before switching to the centre, and out to the right for Aimee Healy-Raynor, was capped off when her diagonal ball in was swept home by Beth Jones with an emphatic finish after 58 minutes.

A minute later Tash Allderidge drove a shot just outside the angle of post and bar. On the hour, Ella Kew won a header from a Buxton goal-kick and played the ball forward to Daisy Bowen, her layoff to Tash Allderidge was played through to Ella Kew and was met with a crisp left foot shot from wide on the left and into the far side of the goal [1-6].

Beth Jones went close after 62 mins, working herself space for a shot from the edge of the area which hit the crossbar and bounced down and out. Her hat-trick wasn’t long in coming, however. On 70 minutes Em Hayden regained possession for the Pride on the left and found Ella Kew - her through ball was just in front of Daisy Bowen, who blocked the defender’s attempted clearance and the ball ran through for Beth Jones, who hit her shot into the roof of the net from 10 yards [1-7].

Buxton pulled two goals back within six minutes to make it 3-7, setting up what might have been a nervy last fifteen minutes - by this stage both teams were showing signs of tiredness, particluarly the Pride with no substitutes to call on - and Buxton started to have more of the ball, but Pride held on to see the game out.

Pride fashioned 30 attempts on goal in the game, so scoring seven is a reasonable return for the first game of the season. Pride’s twin strikers combined well together, a hat-trick apiece for Beth Jones and Daisy Bowen in the opening game is a good start and the partnership will only improve with time as they become accustomed to each other’s game.

There were a number of good performances, but for a consistent performance throughout the game, Jade Howell gets the nod for performance of the game - showing excellent handling in difficult conditions, good positioning and reactions to make a number of key interventions in 1v1 situations and excellent distribution from kicks.

Pride return to Moorways on Wednesday night when they host Borrowash Victoria (ko 7pm)