The County Cup draw pitched Pride Park against Belper Town, teams that have had several notable encounters over the years including the last time they played at Moorways - a sixteen goal game in January 2024

Since then, however, Belper - with significant changes in personnel - are into their second season in the East Midlands Regional League and this game promised to be Pride Park’s biggest test since the season opener in the Women’s FA Cup, also against Regional League opposition - and after a good start to the league campaign was an opportunity to benchmark the team’s progress.

On a weekend where there were several postponements due to waterlogged pitches, the artificial pitch came into its own with the fixture being switched during the week in anticipation of the effects of Storm Claudia.

Pride Park won possession fairly quickly from Belper’s kick off, worked the ball across from the left in five passes culminating with Hannah Roberts’ ball forward to Beth Jones, who did well to hold off the defender and slot home past the advancing keeper from just outside the area, putting Pride ahead with thirty seconds played. [1-0]

Belper responded almost immediately with a well worked goal after a run down the right channel and a cutback was finished from close range by Jess Smithurst [1-1].

Pride’s lead was restored after 7 minutes, when, with Belper’s defence looking for offside against Beth Jones - who was in an offside position but was walking back and remained passive so wasn’t active in the play - Daisy Bowen latched on to Annie Laight’s pass and ran through unchallenged before sliding the ball wide of the keeper [2-1].

Daisy Bowen nearly had another a couple of minutes later but her shot from outside the area came back off the crossbar and was collected by the keeper.

Pride had several opportunities to add to their lead without being able to capitalise on the openings they created. Arguably the best of these came five minutes before the interval, when a Tash Collyer free kick from the angle of the penalty area cleared the wall and bounced just in front of Belper’s keeper, who couldn’t hold the shot, and although there were four Pride players closing in they weren’t able to apply a clean finishing touch and the ball the went out for a goal kick.

Belper also had opportunities, a low cross evaded everyone in the centre, and there were a couple of excellent interventions by Jade Howell: turning a fierce shot from only 8 yards around the post, and as the half came to its conclusion, tipping a low driven shot around the post.

It had been an excellent first forty-five minutes from Pride Park who at half-time held a 2-1 lead.

Belper had a half chance five minutes after the restart but Eliot Sayavong did extremely well to prevent Alice Faulding getting a clean shot away, and Jade Howell was able to gather. Two minutes later Daisy Bowen played a square pass into Beth Jones’ path and her first touch split two closing defenders, one of which brought Beth down inside the area as she followed the ball. The referee had an extremely good view and had no hesitation in awarding the penalty, which was despatched by Tash Collyer.

Pride had a couple of openings in the next quarter of an hour that didn’t come to anything before Rachel Weaver flashed a shot just wide of the post following a corner. Almost immediately after that, Belper pulled a goal back, through Liv Froggatt on 68 minutes, to make it 3-2.

It was Pride’s turn to respond and their two goal cushion was restored within three minutes. Tash Collyer’s corner kick from the right was initially headed out, then half cleared - but fell to Rachel Weaver on the edge of the ‘D’ and her shot was deflected past the keeper.

In the final twenty minutes Pride fashioned a couple of further opportunities, without troubling the Belper keeper, but with a two goal lead the focus turned to game management in the closing stages. Belper had a couple of sights of goal but couldn’t get their shots on target, before a shot from outside the area through a crowd of bodies was initially saved by Jade Howell, but bounced up off the floor and struck her in the face - she did exceptionally well to react and smother the ball before a Belper player could take advantage, although she needed a moment to recover afterwards.

In the four minutes of added time Belper had the majority of possession in Pride’s defensive third but were unable to create any shooting opportunities as the Pride defended superbly, closing down space and forcing Belper away from goal to see out the game.

It’s the first time Pride have eliminated Tier 6 opposition in a Cup competition and was the culmination of a disciplined all-round squad effort, epitomised not only by the mutual support on the pitch but by how the substitutes supported their teammates (while taking turns to run the line) before getting their own chance to be involved in the game - all three coming on to good effect. It was also good to see Summer Evans, despite her injury last week, also came down to support her teammates. On a day when there were excellent individual performances all round, it was the squad that was the star.

The Pride return to league action next Sunday when they visit Draycott Victoria (ko 1.30pm).