Derby County Ladies avoided a potential banana skin and in doing so made it four consecutive wins on the spin, as they beat a spirited Middlesbrough side 3-1 to progress through to the third round of league cup at the Anderson Electrical arena on Sunday.

The visitors operate a tier beneath Ewe Rams, however on the back of seven league wins out of nine they represented a serious enough threat for manager, Stuart Wilson to field a full strength side, however it only took the home side 11 minutes to break the deadlock when Aimee Perry finished from 6 yards following excellent work from Mel Johnson.

Johnson has been in excellent form this season scoring a number of outstanding goals, however she will be hard pressed to score an easier one than the second on 16 minutes, which saw her slot the ball into an empty net after the visiting keeper made a hash of dealing with a routine through ball. Derby scored what proved to be a decisive third on 31 minutes and again Johnson was at the centre of things as she nutmegged a visiting defender before firing home from the edge of the area.

The second half proved to be a much more even affair with neither side able to capitalise on a number of opportunities, until Boro claimed a fully deserved headed consolation effort on 78 from a corner.

Wilson was pleased with the win, but as ever was keen to turn his focus to the next game. “ The first half display was really pleasing. We nullified what was a confident visiting sides threat early on, before stamping our own tempo and authority onto the game prior to the break. In all fairness the second half wasn’t the greatest spectacle, however it allowed us the opportunity to give valuable game time to other players within the group “

Ewe Rams turn their attentions to back to the Premier league and a vital game at Bradford City this Sunday, which Wilson believes will present a serious test to his young side. “ The league table shows us joint top, whilst City find themselves in the lower half of the table, however they are a very good side. A few weeks back a late goal saw us defeat them in the reverse fixture, however the game could have gone either way. In addition to that they have retained much of the squad that saw them finish last season in fourth position. I have little doubt that they will be in the mix come the end of the season “

Elsewhere the clubs sides enjoyed a superb weekend as the Reserves triumphed 6-2 away to Loughborough Students whilst there were seven wins and a draw for the eight academy sides that played.