Zoe Barratt’s excellent first-half curling effort maintained Ipswich Town’s 100 per cent start to the season as they recorded a dominant 1-0 home victory over London Bees in the FA Women's National League Cup.
The Tractor Girls have won all their games at the Goldstar Stadium 1-0 this season and the trend continued in the cup, even though the margin could and should have been greater with Barratt’s fine finish in the 26th minute the difference between the two sides.
It took little time for Town to get their first sight of goal with Anna Grey firing over in only the third minute game, which was a sign for things to come.
Maddie Biggs was a constant threat throughout with her skill and movement perplexing the away side’s defence as she had a hat-trick of great chances in the first 25 minutes, the best of these a free header that she put wide after a wonderful Summer Hughes cross.
But a minute later the deadlock was broken with Barratt first running her full-back towards the by-line before cutting back and driving into the box and then curling a sumptuous hit into the far bottom corner.
The Bees created very little with captain Florence Gamby heading a deep free-kick wide the only chance of the half.
Natasha Thomas almost doubled the lead straight after the break as more chances came and went but they were almost made to rue their profligacy in front of goal.
A rare Bees corner was won by Gamby and with the aid of a deflection forced a smart save by Leonie Jackson against the bar and the Blues scrambled clear.
After that scare there was only one team going to score from that point and had it not been for the woodwork denying substitute Sophie Peskett and Eva Hubbard then the margin would have been more comfortable.
The scoreline looked tight, but this was deserved progression for the Tractor Girls as they comfortably move into round two.
Ipswich Town: L Jackson, Hughes, Cooper, Egan, Hubbard, Barratt, Robertson, King (c), Grey, Thomas (Peskett 68), Biggs, Unused: Quantrill, Telford, A Jackson. Att: 311.