The Belles put in a professional performance in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Cup to convincingly see off FC Manton of Worksop.
The visitors had the game wrapped up in the first half with Katie Yates, Izzy Gigg, Shelbey Morris, Mollie Barlow and both Jess and Lindsey Tugby-Andrew all getting on the score sheet for a 6-0 lead.
Barlow and Lindsey Tugby-Andrew both secured braces in the second half as the Belles cruised through to the next round of the County Cup, under the interim management of Shaun Hird.
The Belles started the stronger and within three minutes they had already hit the crossbar and had an effort saved.
But it did not take long for them to get off the mark. Attacking with pace, the ball was worked out to the left where Yates drilled a low effort into the bottom corner.
Manton looked for a response but an experienced backline showed their quality and allowed the Belles to quickly get back on the front foot.
That foundation showed just after quarter of an hour as Gigg picked up the ball on half way and left defenders in her wake on a marauding run before smashing into the top left corner.
With wind in their sails, it was one-way traffic for the Belles.
On 23 minutes Morris judged the flight of a looping ball to perfection, found herself one-on-one, and held her nerve to slot home for a third.
Barlow had made quite the nuisance of herself throughout the first half hour and finally got her reward. Phoebe Sneddon’s shot-turned-pass fell beautifully at the feet of the striker who pulled off a classy finish to stroke home.
In the very next attack Barlow drew a foul inside the box to win a penalty which skipper Jess Tugby-Andrew thumped into the back of the net from the spot.
There was still time for another before the break, as the Belles capped a dominant first half. Lindsey Tugby-Andrew found herself unmarked in the box and fired home.
With the game firmly in their control, it took the Belles a little while to get going again after the interval but once they found their composure, the scoring resumed.
Barlow got the second her performance deserved as Gigg’s perfectly weighted cross in from the right fell on the striker’s head and was directed out of the keeper’s reach.
The hosts did their best to make a contest out of the tie and looked down all avenues but the Belles had an answer for everything to keep their clean sheet intact.
The visitors, with the game wrapped up, became less clinical and perhaps let Manton off the hook on occasions.
But there would be a final Belles goal when Lindsey Tugby-Andrew latched onto a bouncing ball on the edge of the box and smashed a shot home.
Belles: Sharpe, Johnson, J. Tugby-Andrew, Abadi, Yates, Gigg, Sneddon, L. Tugby-Andrew, Willoughby, Barlow, Morris. Subs: Hassleman, Banaszczyk, Mortimer, Johnson, Broadhurst.
