Focus for Matt Wheatcroft and Basford United Ladies is now firmly on pushing up the league following their recent exit from the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Plate competition.

That loss has been sandwiched between back-to-back league (EMWRFL Division One Central) successes as Wheatcroft’s Ambers registered their third win of the season, his second in charge, with an 8-0 thumping of visiting West Bridgford Colts on Sunday afternoon.

A pretty much new-look Ambers side have now put themselves within six points of third Nottingham Trent University after an Olivia Wheatcroft-inspired victory over their second bottom opponents.

Scoring four goals in each half, the Ambers led at the break with goals from Jade Eaglefield, Phoebe Meacham, Isabel Wretham, and Wheatcroft’s first of the afternoon; Eaglefield doubled up herself in the second half, whilst Wheatcroft added another three to take her afternoon’s tally to four.

BASFORD UNITED – Olivia Valentine, Fran Brown, Phoebe Meacham, Megan Wood, Lexi Oliver, Ava Hardeman, Isabel Wretham, Hannah Lumley, Jade Eaglefield, Charlie Duthie, Olivia Wheatcroft (Kaci Rile, Aleksandra Dizkowsk, Holly El-Gothamy, Ella Dorman, Jasmine Mulraine-Allen)

Elsewhere in the EMWRFL, Premier Division duo, Mansfield Town and SJR Worksop, both suffered home defeats, the former going down 2-1 in a hard-fought battle with visiting Loughborough Foxes Vixens, Ainsley Allen netting for the hosts, and the later 4-0 against third place Rotherham United.

University of Nottingham won 3-1 at home to Coalville Town Ravens, in Basford’s division, whilst Sherwood were beaten by the same score when home to Melbourne Dynamo; Natasha Leach bagged a brace in the Division One North clash between Arnold Eagles and Belper Town, which finished 3-3, and Notts County Development won 3-2 away to Newark Town.

As for Nottingham Forest and Notts County, higher up the women’s pyramid, they both suffered heavy league defeats.

Away to second place Birmingham City in the WSL2, Forest, who are now seventh, were eventually beaten 5-1; level at the interval at ones apiece, the Reds having restored parity on the stroke of half-time courtesy of a debut goal from Joy Omewa, they endured a second half to forget.

Veatriki Sarri had given the Blues a first half lead, and, although Omewa had cancelled that out, the second half belonged to the hosts, and Lotta Lindström in particular. Wilma Liedhammar restored the visitors lead, before Lindström took over with a hat-trick, on her home debut.

As for the Notts County Reserves, their senior team was inactive, in the FA Women’s National League Reserve Northern Division, they slumped to a 6-1 reverse at home to runaway leaders, Stoke City Development.

Aaliyah Upton netted what proved a consolation for the hosts as the visitors took the points in a game which included braces for both Kaya Anderson and Ruby Millington, the result leaving County’s second string tied at the bottom alongside Hull City Reserves, and AFC Fylde Reserves.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @Basfordutdfc action between Basford United and West Bridgford.