Preston North End

PNE came out of the blocks firing as they took an early lead after good work from Gemma Watson. 

Watson took the ball down the right hand side and fired a low ball into the area which was met by the sliding Becky Grocott to give North End the lead.

They nearly added a second ten minutes later after Sophie Jones broke the offside trap and was left one on one with the Rovers goalkeeper but she was denied by Charlotte Leece.

30 minutes into the game, PNE goalkeeper Danielle Brown was tested for the first time as Nikki Berko struck a free kick from 25 yards out.

Brown dived low to her left and prevented it from finding the bottom corner.

A misplaced back pass almost cost PNE their lead late on in the first half but Brown stood tall and saved before BWR hit the post.

The action wasn’t over there as the Lilywhites had two chances before the half-time whistle; Watson went on a mazy run but was denied by Leece before Keeleigh Savage hit the post twice.

Preston started the second half exactly like the first and scored early on when the unmarked Jones connected on a through ball by Alice Forshaw.

Jones got her second of the game in the 75th minute when Melissa Ball picked her out at the back post to leave her with an easy finish.

She had her hat trick three minutes later as Forshaw and Jones combined again.

Forshaw playing a pinpoint pass to Jones who applied the finish to make it 4-0.

PNE then scored two goals in the final few minutes when Savage headed in from a corner before Jenna Carroll scored almost immediately from the restart as she dodged four or five BWR defenders and calmly slotted past Leece to put the icing on the cake. 

The win means PNE now progress to the semi-finals of the Lancashire County Cup but in the meantime their focus now turns to next week against Sporting Albion Ladies.

PNE: Brown, Taberner, Carroll, Wootton, Forshaw, Walker (c), Foster (Forster 45), Grocott (Ball 64), Watson (Shepherd 59), Jones, Savage