Ipswich Town Women put in a dominant display to rout rivals Norwich City at Carrow Road, four second half goals seeing the Blues progress to the first round proper of the FAWNL Cup.
Manager Joe Sheehan made two changes to the side that beat Hashtag United 2-0 at the Martello Ground on Sunday with Issy Bryant and Isabella Fisher replacing Sophie Peskett and Natasha Thomas, both of whom were named as subs.
Club captain Maria Boswell, who missed the first two league games of the season after picking up an injury in pre-season, was also named on the bench.
Former Town keeper Sarah Quantrill, who left the club to join the Canaries at the start of the 2023/24 season, started between the sticks for the home side.
Ipswich controlled possession from the start, keeping the ball well and probing the Norwich defence. On six, Town worked the ball into the box but Quantrill was quickly off her line to smother it.
The Blues continued to apply pressure and force the Canaries deep into their own half. On 11 Bryant won the ball high and wide and played in Fisher, who couldn’t pick out a Town shirt with her low ball across the box.
Soon after, Maisie Barker latched on to a long ball down the left before finding Angela Addison in the Norwich box, but her shot was blocked out.
On 15, Leah Mitchell worked her way in to the centre of goal and let fly a rasping shot which rattled the Norwich crossbar. Addison looked to follow-up but Quantrill was equal to the effort
Six minutes later, Shauna Guyatt made an effort from distance which forced Quantrill to tip the ball around her post for a Town corner.
On the half hour mark. Norwich had their first real attack of the game, but the Blues were able to launch a counter and almost find Barker with a long ball to the left corner.
Soon after, Mitchell played the ball to Fisher in a dangerous area, but her shot was straight at Quantrill.
Town then had another corner on 35 which was headed clear before Barker, a constant threat on the left, cut the ball back to Bryant only for her shot to be deflected out.
Bryant was in again on 43 but again could not get her shot through the crowd of yellow shirts in the box.
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Town ended the half with another attempt on target, Fisher tamely firing the ball straight at Quantrill.
Despite the score being 0-0 at the break, Town had been completely in control of the game with the gulf in quality and fitness being very apparent.
Charlotte Fleming had been a focal point in playing the ball out from the back and mopping up the rare Norwich forays forward, whilst Barker and Bryant had both been good outlets from either wing.
The Blues picked up where they had left off at the restart, forcing several attacking opportunities in the first 15 minutes of the half.
On the hour mark, Sheehan made a triple sub replacing Barker, Fisher and Bryant with Summer Hughes, Thomas and Peskett.
The substitutes were immediately involved and three minutes later, Town broke the deadlock. The Blues worked the ball around the edge of the box to Hughes, who was able to rifle home from distance to make it 1-0.
Two minutes later, Ipswich doubled their lead, winning a corner soon after the restart, Thomas rising like a salmon to head home Guyatt’s delivery into the box.
The two quick goals rattled the home side, who struggled to keep a cohesive shape against the Town onslaught.
And on 72 Ipswich added a third goal. Guyatt picked out Peskett on the right from where the winger made a trademark driving run before flashing the ball into the box, Addison smashing the ball home off the underside of the bar to open her Town account.
Five minutes later, Sheehan made two more changes, introducing Boswell and Eloise King for Mitchell and Lucy O’Brien, with Town fan King receiving a rapturous reception from the travelling Blue Army.
A minute later, Thomas won the ball on the edge of the Norwich box but could only drag her shot wide.
On 83, Ipswich made it 4-0 through a superb solo effort from Peskett. The winger picked up the ball on the halfway line before making a mazy run to the edge of the box, jinking into space before arrowing the ball into the top left corner.
Having established an unassailable lead, the visitors were content to maintain possession and make the Canaries chase the ball.
Deep into the six minutes of added time, Norwich applied some limited pressure, winning two corners which were easily dealt with by the Blues defence, before the ref blew up for full-time.
The Town players celebrated in front of a jubilant away end, King letting fly her trademark fist pump to the Town fans.
Ipswich put in an utterly dominant performance against their local rivals, never looking troubled by the home side and playing on the front foot throughout.
The triple sub on 60 minutes was a key turning point in the game, with Hughes, Thomas and Peskett all scoring and also getting involved in goal creations.
Ipswich Town Women are back on the road this weekend, travelling to Devon to face newly promoted side, and current league leaders, Exeter City in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division.
Town: Negri, Mitchell (Boswell 77), Wearing, Williams, Barker,l (Hughes 60), Fleming, O’Brien (King 77), Guyatt, Bryant (Peskett 60), Addison, Fisher (Thomas 60). Unused: Hartley. Att: 4,751.