Reigning Lotto Northern Premier Women's League champions Glenfield Rovers gave fellow unbeaten title contenders Lynn-Avon United a first-hand lesson in the levels to which they need to aspire on April 22, as they humbled the home team 6-1 at Ken Maunder Park. Rovers were on the front foot from the outset, and after Hannah Wilkinson had lashed a low drive narrowly past the far post, they scored twice in sixty seconds to leave Lynn-Avon with a mountain to climb. Just six minutes into the contest, Sarah Gibbs' corner was cleared back to her, and her delivery this time found Briar McNamara lurking eight yards out, seemingly in an offside position. Not when the ball was played, apparently, and the youngster deftly volleyed home past the wrong-footed Jess Reddaway to open the scoring. Straight from the kick-off, Glenfield secured possession through the outstanding Priscilla Duncan, who was in vintage form as she bossed the midfield battle throughout this contest, being beaten just once in the air over the course of ninety minutes. Her eye for an inch-perfect pass has always been a feature of Duncan's game, and Katie Bowen benefited from just such a delivery in the seventh minute, one she complimented with a teasing cross-shot which arced over Reddaway and ricocheted into the net via the far post - 2-0. How would Lynn-Avon respond to this double-whammy? We had but four minutes to wait. Sloppy defending by Glenfield allowed Rachel Head's hopeful ball forward to bounce, and Tayla O'Brien was onto it in a flash, with daylight for company and just Pam Yates to beat, a feat the youngster accomplished confidently as the 'keeper advanced off her line. Game on, then, and United came within inches of equalising in the sixteenth minute. A Gibbs stumble was swooped on by O'Brien, who worked a one-two with Rebecca Gage before seeing her cross blocked. O'Brien latched onto the rebound and slipped the ball into the stride of Gage, who unleashed an unerring twenty-yarder which had "bottom far corner" written all over it until the diving figure of Yates, at full stretch, tipped the shot to safety. The quality of that save was matched at the other end of the park four minutes later. O'Brien directed a clearance straight to Liz Milne, whose gem of a curling cross was met by the soaring figure of Bowen. Her thumping downward header looked a goal for all money until the airborne Reddaway, judging the bouncing ball to perfection, flicked the ball round the post for a corner. Bowen's despairing groan at seeing a goal denied her prompted her to deliver a pinpoint corner to the far post seconds later. Rising above all-comers was Hannah Bromley, whose header required two attempts by Reddaway to keep it out by the post. Glenfield were in the ascendancy again now, and a thrusting run past three opponents by Wilkinson culminated in a low cross through the legs of Dana Humby into the goalmouth. Reddaway was favourite to reach it, but Steph Skilton had other eyes, and darted in to beat the 'keeper but prod her shot just past the post. Reddaway's goal-kick, in the 24th minute, came back to her far sooner than she, or anyone in a red shirt, anticipated. Rebecca O'Neill met the ball with a firm header forward, and McNamara stole in behind some hesitant defenders to latch onto the opportunity, the striker holding off a challenge before steering home beyond the diving goalkeeper. 3-1 Glenfield, and this time they would not let their opponents off the hook. Skilton-created chances afforded Wilkinson and Bowen the opportunity to increase Rovers' lead in the 27th and 28th minutes, but only the former tested Reddaway's reflexes. The supplier of those chances turned chief celebrant three minutes later, after Duncan had won the ball in midfield. A touch to McNamara saw the youngster slip a delightful pass into Skilton, who deftly furnished some space to allow herself time to send a shot on the turn arrowing past Reddaway into the bottom left-hand corner. United were on the ropes, and McNamara butchered a glorious chance to make it 5-1 ten minutes before half-time by over-hitting a pass to Skilton when the frontrunners were through on goal with just Kate Seatter and Reddaway to beat. Crumbs from the rich man's table was the diet on which Lynn-Avon were now feeding, although they weren't exactly helping their own cause by playing to Rovers' strengths. Why play the ball in the air so often when Glenfield's players are strong in that department, and have a height advantage to begin with? And why look to attack down the left so often when the in-roads that had been made stemmed from the right wing? That flank, of course, is O'Brien's domain, and in the 38th minute she was gifted an opportunity to reduce the deficit again when Yates' awful clearance landed at her feet. Instead of shooting first time at an open goal,

Hannah Wilkinson Jess Reddaway saves this effort Tayla O'Brien shadowed by Katie Bowen Sarah Gibbs Briar McNamara Hannah Bromley

the young winger took a touch, but never got the chance to take another, for Duncan was on the scene in an instant to spare her team-mate's blushes. Before half-time, O'Neill, with a header from a Bowen corner which flashed inches over the bar, and Wilkinson, whose super slalom run through Lynn-Avon's defence deserved a finish far better than the tame trickling effort she produced, went close to bolstering Rovers' advantage still further. After the break, they continued to press. Gathering an O'Brien cross intended for the head of half-time substitute - and new signing - Rosie White, who was afforded little opportunity to impress on debut, Yates instantly threw the ball out to Wilkinson, who set sail downfield at a great rate of knots. Approaching the edge of the penalty area, she checked inside two challenges before letting fly with a shot which Reddaway smothered, a feat the 'keeper repeated to keep out Bromley's twenty-five yard bullet two minutes later. Immediately prior to that save, Reddaway had produced another gem. Bromley sent Wilkinson racing down the right past Head, after which she sent a low cross in to Skilton, who set up Bowen for a twenty yard chip which Reddaway superbly tipped over the bar. When this writer first saw Reddaway in action at the tail end of 2008, she really struggled in the air, and shots of this nature beat her all ends up every time. Just over three years on, and thanks to a lot of hard work on her part, she has improved out of sight in all facets of her game. Keep up the good work, lass - it's clearly paying dividends! Reddaway's despairing efforts were in vain in the 58th minute, as Glenfield went nap via a stunningly executed goal. Milne whipped over a cross to the far post which beat everybody bar Wilkinson, who leapt up and steered a sumptuous cushioned volley into the top near corner of the net - a technically brilliant strike, which contrasted starkly with the scorer's subsequent attempts to increase Rovers' lead. The first of these came in the 67th minute, when, with just Reddaway to beat, she dragged her shot across the face of goal, an effort she repeated twenty minutes later, after Head had gifted the ball to Wilkinson just outside the area. "Bread-and-butter" finishing is an element of her game "Wilko" must improve on, but despite her obvious frustration in squandering so many opportunities of this nature, it's to her credit that she's always game to try again, even at the risk of copping an earful from the likes of the ultra-competitive Gibbs when another chance goes begging, as happened in the final minutes of this encounter. Glenfield made the scoreline 6-1 eighteen minutes from time, although Lynn-Avon weren't best pleased with referee Anna-Marie Keighley that the goal was awarded. Yates, who had recovered well after landing awkwardly while coping with a cross on the hour, sent a raking clearance downfield which was allowed to bounce by players of both teams. McNamara was the beneficiary of this opening, but found Humby between herself and the ball as the defender looked to shepherd it back towards the advancing Reddaway. What happened next can only have come about by matters unusual in nature, for the ball had spilled loose and both Humby and Reddaway were on the ground, looking up at McNamara as she fired into an empty net to gleefully complete her hat-trick. Protests were forthcoming, from Humby in particular, but as had been the case when a couple more debatable decisions earned the ire of the natives during the second spell, the referee's mind was made up - 6-1. A McNamara air-shot, from a Wilkinson cross, soon followed, while two measured cross-field deliveries from Bromley onto the head of Gibbs were deserving of better fate in the final ten minutes, as Glenfield looked to keep going right to the end. They nearly enjoyed a seventh goal in stoppage time, Humby and Reddaway narrowly avoiding getting in a tangle under pressure from Skilton as Bromley's raking ball forward caused chaos, while the former German-based defender's deft flick-on of a Duncan free-kick saw O'Neill steer a close-range volley over the bar in the final minute. The final whistle saw the deserving winners celebrating a victory which maintained their share of the league lead at the expense of a young side who found their opponents to be simply too big, too strong and too experienced - every player who took the field for Rovers in this match has represented New Zealand at some level  - on this occasion. And the victors exploited those attributes very well indeed. Lynn-Avon:     Reddaway; Seatter, Humby, Head; O'Brien, Bott, Cleverley, Carlsen, Wilson (White, 46), Jeurissen; Gage (Hawkins, 82) Glenfield:     Yates; Bromley, O'Neill, Smallfield, Milne (Innes, 84); Wilkinson, Bowen (Ward, 63 (booked, 90)), Duncan, Gibbs; Skilton, McNamara (Ray, 77) Referee:     Anna-Marie Keighley