Leicestershire Womens and Girls Football League
Women’s League Division One
Sunday 7th December 2025
Harborough Town Women First (3) – (1) Birstall United FC Women
Player of the Match – Lucy Hendry
Report – Lucy Mister
Image – Phil Passingham
Despite relentless rain in the warm-up and a delayed kick-off caused by the previous fixture overrunning, a strong crowd of home and travelling supporters gathered on the main pitch to watch Harborough Town Women secure their first league victory of the season — and a fully deserved one — with an impressive 3–1 win over fifth-placed Birstall United.
Harborough entered the match second from bottom in the table, having played just six league fixtures due to repeated weather-related postponements. Their only previous win of the campaign had come in the League Cup against Brookside Athletic Reserves. But with their new home kit and sponsor, Joseph Parr Northants (Timber and Building Supplies), on display for the first time, the Bees produced a performance full of quality, intensity and determination.
The scheduled 2.00pm kick-off was pushed back to 2.20pm, but Harborough showed no signs of sluggishness once play got underway. The opening exchanges were energetic, with both sides keen to settle early, though it was the hosts who soon established control through sharp link-up play and strong work down the flanks.
The breakthrough arrived in the 28th minute. Following a sustained spell of build-up play, Dom Ratcliffe-McClelland drew defenders towards her before unselfishly squaring the ball to Violet Angus, who found herself one-on-one inside the six-yard box and calmly slotted home to give Harborough a deserved 1–0 lead.
Angus remained a constant threat throughout the contest, repeatedly causing problems down the left with her pace and ability to drive beyond midfield lines before threading balls in behind the Birstall defence.
Birstall responded and managed to pull themselves level before the break, but the second half belonged decisively to Harborough.
Just seven minutes after the restart, Georgi Holdsworth restored the Bees’ advantage in the 52nd minute, finishing confidently to make it 2–1. Eight minutes later, Harborough struck again. A moment of space on the right allowed Sienna Lewsey, who spent the afternoon harrying defenders with her pace and work rate, to deliver a pinpoint cross into the box. Unmarked, Kylie Fromant took her chance with composure, calmly placing the ball past the Birstall goalkeeper to extend the lead to 3–1.
The only sour note of the afternoon came when Fromant was shown a controversial red card, leaving Harborough down to ten players for the closing stages. Even so, the hosts remained disciplined and fully in control, seeing the match out without allowing Birstall back into the contest.
At the other end, Lucy Hendry claimed her second Player of the Match award of the season. The Harborough goalkeeper was outstanding throughout — commanding her area, holding everything cleanly in difficult conditions and producing several crucial saves that ensured her side retained momentum.
This 3–1 victory not only delivers Harborough’s first league win of the campaign, but also highlights the quality within the squad when given the chance to build rhythm and consistency. With games in hand on several teams above them, this result could prove a significant turning point as the season finally begins to gather pace.