Wonder Walters seals senior Magpies’ plate passage

The side’s had met only two weeks previously in a league fixture with the Magpies running out 5-1 - and it was to be a similar tale this time.

With a number of players unavailable due to injuries, Ellie Marriott from the reserves was called upon and performed admirably.

Notts were quick to pile on the pressure and had the ball in the back of the net when Lauren Yeomans headed in from the far post from an April Bingham cross, but the effort was deemed offside.

Two minutes later, Yeomans received the ball to feet on the edge of the six-yard box, turned and fired the ball over the goal line for 1-0.

The lead was swiftly doubled as a wonderful cross again from Bingham on the left flank enabled Walters to convert with a cheeky lob.

The Magpies almost got another when Androulla Kokkinou played the ball out wide to Robyn Henton for her to slip a ball through for Walters, whose shot flew over the bar.

A third goal for County came when Henton’s forward pass found the feet of Walters, who played a neat one-two with Yeomans before smacking the ball high into the net.

A minute before the break, it was 4-0 to Notts when Emma Bradshaw, Courtney Evans and Anna Horton combined to tee up Walters, whose near-post shot spun out of the keeper’s hands and into the back of the net.

It required Notts to come out in the second period and dictate the tempo and play intelligently to see the game out.

However, Alfreton reduced the deficit when a 20-yard free-kick found the corner through a ruck of players.

On the hour mark, Marriott made way for Jessica Wibberley and four minutes later Alfreton fired in a long range shot which was tipped over the bar by Kelly Hackman.

At the other end, a ball played behind the Alfreton back four allowed the pace of Bingham to run on and round the keeper for what would have been number five, but for an offside flag.

The game was opening up and it became an end-to-end game, with Alfreton enjoying some good spells.

With 10 minutes to go, the visitors pulled another goal back when a long range shot was lofted into the net.

But County responded quickly and wrapped up a good win when Henton’s defence-splitting pass found Kokkinou and she cut in from the wing before reversing a shot past the advancing keeper.

That helped her win the honour of player of the match as part of an all-action display that saw her make light of being knocked off her feet on several occasions.