Two Natasha Flint goals helped Rovers Ladies climb to sixth in the Women’s Championship, a victory boss Gemma Donnelly described as ‘a big sense of relief’.
Rovers, playing their first match of 2020, trailed to bottom side Charlton Athletic, but fought back in the second half as Flint’s double moved them up four places.
They now have up to three games in hand on the sides around them, and will hope to start looking up the table rather than over their shoulders in the coming weeks.
Boss Donnelly said: “I’m absolutely buzzing for the girls.
“As per they made incredibly hard work of it and I suppose on the first-half, had Charlton capitalised on their many efforts and possession, the game should have been dead and buried at half-time.
“I knew that the players could perform better and second-half I thought we were vastly improved, the dominant side and created chances. All the girls stepped up.
“While Tash Flint has been quiet, she’s had that extra quality to get us something and it’s those two goals that have won us the game.
“They were finished in style as well. She’s finished a well worked goal by lobbing the keeper.
“And the second goal was a great through ball from Fran for Bo, and then Tash used her body, took it past the keeper and calmly put it into the back of the net."
Charlton, winless this season, remain rooted to the bottom of the table, and although the win has lifted Rovers in to mid-table, Donnelly believes there is plenty more work ahead.
She added: “It’s massive. Like us Charlton have games in hand and it’s so tight at the bottom. The teams are all scrapping around to pick anything up.
“I suppose we’re in a better position given our games in hand. We considered this to be one of them. It’s huge to come away from home and beat a team we haven’t got the better of before in the way we did.
"It’s moved us up to mid table and it’s a big sense of relief to be honest.”
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