The legacy of England's Euro 2022 win is already apparent after record crowds flocked to take in the opening day of the Barclays Women's Championship.
All 12 teams were in action as the second tier got underway, two weeks before the Women's Super League kicks off. Newly-promoted Southampton hosted Charlton Athletic in their first-ever game this this level, with the Saints drawing in the biggest crowd of the weekend.
Two derbies were the highlight of Sunday's round of fixtures, with the weekend drawing to a close with Birmingham City's clash with Lewes Women. Here, Mirror Football rounds up the action from all six games.
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Southampton Women 0-2 Charlton Athletic Women
An impressive crowd of 2,444 travelled to St Mary's to take in Southampton's first-ever Women's Championship match. But home fans were left disappointed as Charlton Athletic eased to a 2-0 win.
A first-half penalty from Emily Simpkins and Melissa Johnson's cool finish 90 seconds into the second-half were enough to wrap up the three points. Saints keeper Kayla Rendell did save Angela Addison's penalty, but it was Charlton boss Karen Hills who was left the happiest.
"It was our job to come here and spoil that party and to quiet the crowd and I think we did that with the opening goal. We had a good following today and rightly so, those girls deserved it. They needed that little encouragement towards the back end of the game," she said.
Durham Women 1-1 Sunderland Women
Durham hosted a club record crowd at Maiden Castle for their River Wear derby clash with Sunderland. The hosts went ahead 14 minutes in when Saoirse Noonan puts headed in Ellie Christon's cross.
But the Black Cats fought back, with Brianna Westrup converting a corner at the back post to equalise. Plenty of fans young and old packed in to witness the game, with Westrup hailing the crowd for their support.
“I think it was a really physical game. Obviously it’s a derby so it’s always going to be a battle and from what I gather, both teams are up for the test so we knew that coming into today. It’s fantastic to see people taking an interest and people spurring on the team," Westrup said.
London City Lionesses 0-1 Crystal Palace
A real buzz greeted the players at Dartford, where London City Lionesses played out a derby with Crystal Palace. Both teams were well supported, but it was the Palace fans who were left the happiest.
They took the lead early into the second-half when Isabella Sibley followed in from Chloe Arthur's long distance strike to score. Lionesses director of football Amber Wildgust hailed the impact England's Euros win has had on the women's game.
"We’ve had a good attendance today and I think that’s off the back of the Euros. I think a lot of people now know about women’s football. It was a good game for the fans, it was back and forth but unfortunately we weren’t able to put it in the back of the net in the second half. Disappointed, but it was a good game of football,” she said.
Blackburn Rovers Women 1-0 Sheffield United Women
Blackburn Rovers opened their season with a win at Ewood Park in front of a larger than expected crowd. More than 600 fans were in attendance with Sheffield United the visitors to Lancashire.
It was the Blades who dominated for much of the clash, but Saffron Jordan headed in a free-kick in first-half stoppage time to claim all three points for her side. And that left Rovers boss Gemma Donnelly delighted.
“I can’t say it was the most attractive of games but we did the job and we got a goal from not many attacks I don’t think. I think we’ve had probably one shot on target throughout the whole of the game but it’s counted and we’ve scored. We’ve got a clean sheet playing at Ewood, three points, one goal, what more can you ask for?" Donnelly said.
Coventry United Women 0-1 Bristol City Women
Bristol City claimed a win over Coventry United, though the scoreline did not reflect their dominance. The Robins named four debutants in their squad for the clash at the Butts Park Arena.
They had far too much for United, who struggled to break down the visitors, with Jess Woolley scoring the only goal of the game with a powerful second-half strike. The result left City boss Helen Smith delighted, if frustrated her side had not scored me.
"I think some of us are a bit frustrated that it wasn't more but ultimately we came here for a win and a clean sheet and that's what we got. I'm really happy with how we started the game and that we got the win," she said.
Birmingham City Women 0-0 Lewes Women
Birmingham City will continue to play at St Andrews this season, with Lewes the visitors for their opening game. It was a game full of chances, though neither team could find a way through the opposing side's defence.
Paula Howles almost scored a goal of the season contender, but her long-range effort was tipped over the bar. The result leaves the two teams in mid-table in the very early stages of the season.
