Ipswich Town Women returned to winning ways at Felixstowe this afternoon with a stonking 13-0 demolition of MK Dons in the league, Sophie Peskett scoring her second first-half hat-trick of the season - and four in total - with Leah Mitchell, Natasha Thomas, Maisy Barker, Lucy O’Brien, Eloise King and Issy Bryant also on the scoresheet.
Blues manager Joe Sheehan reverted to a more standard line up for a return to league action, with Natalia Negri, Mitchell, Grace Garrad, Charlotte Fleming, Peskett, O’Brien and Angela Addison all returning to the starting XI after last week’s FAWNL Cup exit to league rivals Hashtag United.
Laura Hartley, Evie Williams, Eloise King, Shauna Guyatt and Issy Bryant, all starters in the previous game, dropped to the bench, with Summer Hughes and Megan Wearing missing out, the latter due to being on duty with Scotland U19s. Striker Thomas, who made her debut from the bench for Jamaica during the week, retained her place in the starting XI.
As expected, the Blues looked to impose themselves from kick-off and within the first minute Peskett shot over from distance.
Two minutes later, the winger turned creator, cutting the ball back for Addison in the box, who shot over. Almost immediately, Peskett created a similar chance for Fleming on the edge of the box, the midfielder seeing her shot rasp off the post and back out.
On nine, Town opened the scoring. Kyra Robertson wriggled through the defence to play in Peskett in the box, and she was able fire home at close range.
In the 16th minute, the home side doubled their advantage, Mitchell finding Peskett in space on the right before the winger burst into the box and lashed the ball across the face of goal and in at the far post.
Four minutes later, Mitchell herself was on the scoresheet, nutmegging MK keeper Bruci at the far post after she had flicked on O’Brien’s corner in an attempt to clear the ball.
Town continued the pressure and on 26 made it 4-0. O’Brien made a superb run from midfield before crossing the ball into space for Peskett to control the ball before giving Bruci the eyes and slotting it to her left and completing her second first-half hat-trick of the season.
Four minutes later, Natasha Thomas made it 5-0, bundling the ball in at Bruci’s near post. A minute later it was 6-0, Peskett getting her fourth of the game at the back stick.
On 37, Town increased their lead to 7-0, Barker sprinting down the left flank before letting fly a rocket past Bruci and into the top right corner. Town continued to press until the referee brought a halt to the game for half-time.
Sheehan made two changes at the break, Thomas and Mitchell making way for Guyatt and Williams.
Town continued to dominate in the second half and after five minutes increased their lead to 8-0, Barker again scoring from range after a neat team move.
On 56, there was mild panic from the home fans as Negri was caught out high up the pitch, but the Town defence were quick to marshal themselves on the line and MK could not capitalise.
A minute later, Barker looked to complete her hat-trick with a header from a Peskett cross, but her effort went into the ground and bounced over the bar.
Just after the hour mark, Sheehan made further changes, with King and Bryant replacing Peskett and Fleming.
Three minutes later, Bryant played a part in Town’s ninth goal, her shot squirming underneath Bruci before an MK defender cannoned it off her keeper’s back in an effort to clear the ball away from an onrushing Addison.
On 67, Ipswich reached double figures from another delightful team move, O’Brien smashing the ball into the roof of the MK net.
Four minutes later, O’Brien was on the scoresheet again for 11-0 after Barker made a superb move down the left to the touchline before cutting back the ball for the midfielder to rifle home.
MK looked increasingly tired and bereft against an imperious home side; on 74 Barker played in Guyatt whose close range effort was blocked, Barker not able to tap in the loose ball.
On 78, Town made it 12-0 with King scoring her first competitive goal after missing a lot of the previous season through injury, latching on to a sumptuous through ball into the box to calmly stroke the ball past Bruci and into the net to the joy of the home support.
Soon after, King looked to be in on goal again but was bundled down on the penalty spot, the referee waving away Town’s appeals for a spot-kick.
In the final minute of normal time, Town made it 13-0. The Blues were able to effortlessly move through the MK defence before Bryant’s initial shot cannoned off the crossbar. Maisy Barker was able to recycle the ball back out to the attacker, whose second effort streaked past Bruci.
Although the away side were undoubtedly a very young side, having lost their manager and several senior players in the summer, Ipswich put on a superb display to bounce back from League Cup defeat last week, not easing off when seven goals up at half-time and increasing their goal difference, which is so important in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division where margins are fine.
Peskett put in another star quality effort with another first half hat-trick, but all the Town players shone today and Barker was awarded player of the match by the ITFC Women Official Supporters Club after scoring two excellent long-range efforts and playing a key part in creating the significant number of chances her side had.
Ipswich Town Women remain third in the division, but with leaders Hashtag United drawing 0-0 at away at Exeter City they closed the gap to the top to three points and remain only two points behind second placed Oxford United, who ran out 4-0 winners at home to Billericay Town, with two games in hand over both sides.
It will be groundhog day at Felixstowe next weekend with MK Dons returning to the Martello Ground to take on Town in the first round of the Women’s FA Cup, before the Blues make the trip to Gloucestershire the following week to take on Cheltenham Town in the league.
Town: Negri, Mitchell (Williams 46), Boswell, Garrad, Barker, Fleming (Bryant 61), Robertson, Peskett (King 61), O’Brien, Addison, Thomas (Guyatt 46). Unused: Hartley. Att: 742.