Goal ace Aimee Neal proud to start off on a flyer as Glentoran hit Crusaders for six
Former Sion Swifts star Aimee Neal scored on her League debut for Glentoran Women against Crusaders Strikers
Aimee Neal marked her League debut for Glentoran Women with a goal straight off the training ground as the reigning Sports Direct Women’s Premiership champions kicked off their defence of the title in style.
Neal, who joined the Glens from Sion Swifts Ladies during the winter, headed home in a resounding 6-0 victory over Crusaders Strikers.
Last season’s Player of the Year Danielle Maxwell took less than a minute to announce her return to Cliftonville Ladies from Blackburn Rovers with the opening goal in the Reds’ 5-0 win over Mid Ulster Ladies.
Erin McGreevy took a little longer to find the net as she wrote her name into the history of Lisburn Rangers with the club’s first goal in the top-flight as they started life in the Premiership with a 2-1 win over Derry City Women.
Their local rivals Lisburn Ladies also got off to a winning start with victory by the same scoreline away to Larne Women.
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It was the champions who were the biggest scorers, taking a firm grip on the game with three goals in eight minutes.
Joely Andrews opened the scoring on 23 minutes when she netted from the corner of the six-yard box after Emily Wilson had driven in from the right wing, and five minutes later, Nadene Caldwell’s clipped ball forward sent Demi Vance clear, and she moved forward before smashing a shot across Maddy Harvey-Clifford and into the net.
Neal’s back-post header that made it 3-0 came thanks to a pre-planned move.
“It’s my first League goal for Glentoran, and so I am feeling really happy about it,” said Neal.
“I did it in training on Friday night and I just had a good feeling about it.”
Kerry Beattie scored from the penalty spot five minutes after coming on at half-time, and her fellow sub Rachel Rogan scored twice late on to make it a perfect start for the Glens.
Louise McDaniel also scored twice as Cliftonville, too, got off to a flyer. She doubled the Reds’ lead after Maxwell’s early opener and added a fourth after Kirsty McGuinness had scored shortly before half-time. Carla Devine added the fifth late on.
Faye Loughran was the toast of Lisburn Rangers with their 88th-minute winner after Ellie Redden had equalised for Derry City with 15 minutes to go.
All the goals were scored in a six minute burst at Inver Park. Hollie Johnston put Larne ahead on the stroke of half time, but Lisburn Ladies went in level at the break when they scored straight from the restart through Stacey Murdough before Rachel Kerr grabbed their winner early in the second half.
