We take a look at the numbers that make up the weekend’s FA Women’s National League action.
From the obvious to the obscure – we pick out some of the numbers that caught our eye on the opening day of the season in the FA Women’s National League.
4- Russell-Cartwright scores four Moors
Tizzy Russell-Cartwright began the season in style as the attacker beat the offside trap and found the net to make it 1-0 to Moors with less than 2 minutes of the new season on the clock.
She went on to add a further three goals to her tally, making her the top scorer in the Women’s National League after the opening day’s action, to help send Moors to the top of the Division One Midlands table.
21 – Big wins and heavy defeats
Over one-fifth (21%) of the 33 games played on the opening day of the season resulted in a winning margin of 4 or more goals.
The biggest win came in the Division One Midlands as Moors beat Long Eaton United 9-0 to move to the top of the division. Elsewhere, Exeter City and Cardiff City both scored seven goals a piece, beating Keynsham Town 7-0 and Portishead Town 7-1 respectively.
131 – GOAAAAAL!
The net bulged a total of 131 times across 33 games – with an average of 3.97 goals scored per game.
Goals scored by division:
Northern Premier Division – 24
Southern Premier Division – 24
Division One North – 15
Division One Midlands – 31
Division One South East – 14
Division One South West – 23
80 – First goal of the new season
It took just 80 seconds for the Wem Town captain Kim Bebbington to score the first goal of the new season, converting with a header at the near post from a Davis corner.
1 – Robins stand alone
Cheltenham Town were the only newly promoted side to secure victory on the opening day of the season as Tom Davies’ side recovered from a 0-1 deficit to win 3-1 in their first outing in the third tier thanks to goals from Jade Grove and Izzy Cook.
6 – Six of the best for Forest
Nottingham Forest got off to a dream start in the Northern Premier Division, beating West Brom 0-6 on the road, with all six goals coming from different scorers.
Andy Cook, whose side averaged fewer goals per game than any other side in the division’s top seven last season, is sure to be buoyed by the goal-scoring exploits of his team against the Baggies as they look to mount a challenge for the top spots.
18 – Eighteen held strong
Eighteen defensive backlines came out on top at the weekend, as 27% of teams recorded clean sheets, including three goalless draws in an otherwise goal fest of a weekend.
15 – Away days
Fifteen away sides spoiled the #FAWNLBigKickOff22 party for the home team and their supporters on Sunday, compared to the 13 teams that claimed maximum points on the opening day of 2022/23.
What home advantage?
