Newly crowned Lotto Northern Premier Women's League champions Glenfield Rovers capped off their season with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Eastern Suburbs at McFetridge Park on September 5, a result which ensures they will set a new record points-winning margin in the competition. With just one game left in the league this season, they are seventeen points clear, and can win the title by no less than fourteen points, eclipsing Lynn-Avon United's thirteen-point margin they set in 2005. Rovers, who hadn't played for a fortnight, set about their task with gusto, with both Jackie Pretswell - a glancing header from Liz Milne's inviting cross - and Hannah Wilkinson - a crossbar grazer - going close inside the first four minutes. When the home team next threatened, they opened the scoring. Priscilla Duncan picked out Sarah Gibbs' angled run in behind the defence with a gorgeously weighted twelfth minute pass which put the effervescent midfielder one-on-one with debutant Suburbs goalkeeper Danni Bradley. She stood not a prayer - 1-0. Two minutes later, the unfortunate 'keeper was picking the ball out of the net again, this time after Georgia Goulding had inadvertently turned a Pretswell cross into her own goal, after the striker had turned Jo Rombouts inside out in the penalty area. Pretswell contrived to miss an open goal in the seventeenth minute, after Wilkinson had stormed down the right and set her up with a measured low cross. That triggered some fight from Suburbs, with Grace Vincent stirring the troops with a thirty-five yard free-kick which Pam Yates did well to gather under pressure in the shadows of the crossbar. Rovers responded by further extending their lead, in the 24th minute. Katie Hoyle, who got through a truckload of work in the middle of the park, pounced on a loose ball and raced down the right before clipping a delivery to the near post, where Pretswell was on hand to hook home delightfully on the volley - a quality finish. Seconds later, Wilkinson came within inches of making it 4-0. Hoyle won the ball in midfield, setting up Milne for a deep cross to the far post. Harriet Steele beat Gibbs in the air, but succeeded only in picking out Pretswell, who set up her strike partner for an eighteen yard screamer which sizzled narrowly over the bar. After another Vincent free-kick had given Glenfield cause for concern on the half-hour, the home team stepped things up again with a lovely move deserving of better fate. Hoyle, Milne, Rebecca Sowden and Pretswell were all involved in a move which culminated in Gibbs setting up Wilkinson. Bradley tipped her fifteen yarder over the bar, and looked on with relief two minutes later as Pretswell rattled the side-netting following the work of Alice Bresnahan and Milne on the left, the latter turning Steele every which way before engineering the space for a quality near post cross. The final act of the first half saw Vincent send a dipping thirty yarder narrowly past Yates' left-hand post after Georgia Goulding and Leanne Tiffen had attempted to team up, only for Michele Hogg to intervene in timely fashion. Rovers introduced Briar McNamara to the fray at the start of the second half, and the leading scorer at the National Secondary Schoolgirls Tournament during the week wasted little time in looking to add to Glenfield's haul in this match. Just six minutes into the half she worked a one-two with Duncan on the right before whipping in a cross. Bradley parried it, but before Wilkinson and Pretswell could react Rombouts came to the rescue. Hoyle latched onto her clearance and presented Pretswell with another chance to score, but on this occasion she mis-kicked at the crucial moment. Further McNamara raids before the hour mark saw Hoyle - a dipping twenty yarder - and Wilkinson - a bullet near post header - both go close to doing

justice to the youngster's crosses, while in the 61st minute a raking Yates clearance allowed Wilkinson to get the better of Verdon and fire in a cross to the near post for Pretswell, who was denied by Bradley's brave save at her feet. Still Rovers pressed, Hoyle and Gibbs combining to set up Pretswell once more. Her low cross beat Bradley all ends up, but was just too far in front of McNamara for her to capitalise on the opportunity. Verdon took the resulting goal-kick, and there appeared to be little danger when Duncan took control of it. That all changed when an untimely stumble allowed Suburbs substitute Flora McLeod to swoop on the loose ball, and she raced on before picking her spot beyond the stranded figure of Yates in the 63rd minute. Duncan looked for all the world as if she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole - it was most uncharacteristic for one of the game's smoothest operators to err in this way. Her team-mates appeared to go out in sympathy over the course of the next ten minutes, and Suburbs sensed that there may still be something in the game for them as a result. Driven on by Vincent, they pressed for a second goal, with the league's leading scorer, Rebecca Tegg, taking charge of proceedings in the 72nd minute before feeding Vincent through the inside-left channel. The midfielder thrashed a twenty-five yard goal wards which Yates smothered low to her left. After Bradley had parried then gathered a thirty yard free-kick from Hoyle, Yates was called into action again as Rovers' hesitant rearguard found Tegg waiting to pounce on any errors. Yates' save at the striker's feet ensured none would occur on this occasion. Just when Glenfield looked like they were going to creep over the finish line, they engineered a finish befitting of newly crowned champions ten minutes from time. Yates hoisted the ball downfield, and Gibbs' flick-on was missed by the energetic Sveta Hawke. Wilkinson swooped on the loose ball and played it square to Caitlin Smallfield before racing forward in anticipation of a return pass. It duly arrived in her stride, and the Junior Ferns striker took the ball on before thrashing a shot across Bradley and into the far corner of the net - 4-1. Straight from the kick-off, Vincent powered downfield, brushing aside a couple of challenges before feeding Tegg outside her. Suburbs' captain thrashed a shot around Duncan which arrowed towards the far corner of the net. Yates launched herself to her left and, at full stretch, produced a superb fingertip save to turn the ball round the post for a corner, which Lisa Kemp whipped into the goalmouth. The ball landed at the feet of McLeod, whose reflex shot lacked the power to beat Yates, who was perfectly placed to save on the line. The 'keeper then sent Bresnahan and Wilkinson down the left, with the latter crossing for Smallfield. Rombouts stepped in to block this threat, while Hawke was in the right place at the wrong time as far as Wilkinson was concerned seconds later, the striker's header being blocked by the defender after a vibrant move featuring Hoyle's by-line dash and an interchange between McNamara, Gibbs and Celia Frame. Smallfield and Wilkinson both went close inside the final five minutes, but the late goal had assured Glenfield of a 4-1 victory over Eastern Suburbs and the Keith Hay Homes Cup, which was publicly presented to the new champions soon after the final whistle. Glenfield:     Yates; Duncan, O'Neill, Hogg (Frame, 67), Bresnahan; Milne (McNamara, 46), Sowden, Hoyle, Gibbs; Wilkinson, Pretswell (Smallfield, 67) Suburbs:     Bradley; Steele (Popay, 70), Rombouts, Verdon, Kemp; Goulding, Hawke, Vincent, Tegg; Tiffen (Harding, 59), Gooch (McLeod, 59) Referee:     Graeme Gallop