Wigan Athletic Women emerge victorious in the top-of-the-table clash against Blackburn Community Sports Club.

Match Report | Blackburn Community Sports Club 1 Wigan Athletic Women 7
Latics Women keep their title hopes alive after a scintillating performance at Harrison's Playing Fields.
Goals from Molly Hassall (3), Holly Mason (3) and Grace Carr bring home the three points.

Blackburn Community Sports Club 1

Wilford (78')

Wigan Athletic Women 7

Molly Hassall (18', 23', 46')
Holly Mason (43', 53', 61')
Grace Carr (76')

Wigan Athletic Women tightened their grip at the top of the Lancashire Women's County Premiership, putting seven of the best past Blackburn Community Sports Club to go three points clear.

Danielle Young's Tics made the trip to Harrison's Playing Fields on Sunday, riding the high of their convincing 5-0 away victory against Whitehaven AFC Ladies last time out. A win on the day would mean Latics would go three points clear and keep their Tier 6 dreams alive, and the team left everything out there to clinch the victory.

Two hat-tricks from Holly Mason and Molly Hassall, and a late Grace Carr strike brought the three points back to Edge Hall Road and increased the top-of-the-table deficit.

Last season, Latics Women and Blackburn Community Sports Club enjoyed their head-to-heads, but it was ultimately the Tics that did the double and earned promotion into the County Premiership.

Young made just one change to the Whitehaven starting 11, with Flossie Jones replacing Carr in midfield.

Amelia Knowles was given the nod between the sticks, with an unchanged back four of Becky Abbott, Jess Cooke, Libby McCoy and captain Abbie Moore acting as the last line of defence. Midfield trio Jones, Hannah Forster and Sophie Whelan were the playmakers behind Izzy Worswick, Hassall and Mason.

It was a strong start for the Tics, with Mason driving down the field into the final third and drilling a shot in, the ball flying inches over the crossbar.

After one of many fantastic saves from Knowles, Abbott shunted a beautiful ball from defence directly into the feet of Hassall, whose close-range shot dribbled wide of the post. Mason was there to win the second ball, but her chance bulged the side netting.

Up at the other end, Knowles made an incredible save to keep the score level, rising above the sea of defenders to pluck a Blackburn corner ball from the air and restart the counter.

Controversially, Latics' shout for an early penalty was denied by the referee. Mason found herself through on goal, about to get her shot off, when she was chopped down inside the box. The referee ignored the challenge and waved for play to continue, much to the dismay of the travelling fans.

It took the Tics 18 minutes to find a way into the game, with Hassall running onto a deflected clearance and tucking her ball in at the near post.

Hassall made it two inside of five minutes, an incredible chance from a Forster corner. A quick one-two with the number eight down by the corner flag saw Hassall burst forward and pull the trigger, curling the ball home from the left flank and watching it soar over the goalkeeper.

On the stroke of half-time, Mason made it three. In the right place at the right time, she coolly braced herself inside the six-yard-box for the oncoming cross, getting the toe of her boot to the ball to see it into the net.

At the break, Young made three changes, bringing Emily Firman, Faye Moseley and Carr into the fray.

From the restart, Hassall boxed off her hat-trick. Hassall was played into space on the edge of the box and, after a quick Blackburn deflection rendered her onside, flicked the ball high over the goalkeeper to make it four-nil.

Forster almost made it five by picking up the ball in the final third and unleashing a powerful strike that rippled the net, but the flag was raised for an offside in the build-up.

Just shy of the hour mark, Mason doubled her personal tally with a close-range goal. The ball was passed from pillar to post inside the box, with Forster knocking the ball into space and Mason outpacing the defenders to reach it before tapping it into the net.

Mason's third of the game was a well-taken skill move. The ball was crossed into the box from the right flank, behind Mason, who sat deep in the box. To reach it, the number 11 twisted her body to outsmart her marker and cheekily dink it past the unsuspecting goalkeeper.

Abbott was extremely close to scoring a goal of the season contender by curling her corner ball perfectly into the mouth of the goal, the ball dipping low before rebounding off the bar and falling onto the line.

Substitute Carr got her name on the scoresheet to make it seven by thundering into the final third and taking on the goalkeeper one-on-one, rounding her to leave her stranded and tapping the ball into the empty net.

In the dying embers of the game, Hayley Wilford pulled a goal back for the hosts, breaking through the defence to lob Moseley, but it wasn't enough to dull the spirits of the Tics.

Attention will now turn to the Challenge Cup Semi-Final, in which Latics will be hoping to let go of old ghosts as Accrington Stanley Women FC travel to Edge Hall Road. The fixture takes place on Sunday, 15 February.

Match Report | Blackburn Community Sports Club 1 Wigan Athletic Women 7