DROITWICH Spa Belles made a winning start to their Midwest Counties League Division One campaign after edging past Welland Ladies 1-0.
The Belles got off to a positive start with lots of early play and created a number of chances in the opening ten minutes.
They built on last week’s positive play in the 6-3 defeat to Cookley Sports in the opening round of the Bill Allsopp Memorial Trophy and were rewarded in the 16th minute when Charlotte Wallis ran down the wing before cutting inside to score her fourth goal in three games.
The Belles continued to create numerous chances but were left frustrated by a stubborn Heidi Barlow in the Welland goal.
Sam Spencer looked dangerous throughout the first half for the Belles and was a constant threat but her game came to an abrupt end after a heavy challenge resulted in her being taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated shoulder.
After the half-time break, Belles manager Sarah Major made several changes in a bid to try and extend their lead.
More chances came the way of the Belles as player of the match Abi Lewis and Natalie Sheldon went close.
Second-half substitute Jordan Tudor made some very positive runs down the left wing and created a number of chances but the Belles failed to find the back of the net.
Welland started to increase the intensity of their play and were proving a completely different outfit to the team which the Belles had hammered 7-1 in a pre-season friendly just a fortnight ago.
Only a solid performance from Belles keeper Lorna James kept them in the game while Claire Jordan, who was playing at centre half instead of her preferred position in the middle of the park, made several last ditch challenges inside the area to prevent Welland from equalising.
Along with fellow defensive partner and captain Lara Wilson, the Belles clung on to claim a well-deserved 1-0 win.
