Derry City v Linfield
Danske Bank Premiership
The Brandywell
Linfield started brightly and after 10 minutes should have gone in front when Halliday was brought down in the box. However, captain Fitzsimmons pushed the penalty past the right hand post. Rebecca Bassett opened the scoring for Linfield when she latched onto a back pass and after Friel saved the first effort, followed up, tucking the ball away. Keri Halliday on her first start for the Blues added a second when she cut in from the left and rifled into the far corner. Bassett added a second neatly tucking away on the stroke of half time with a well worked goal.
Derry started brightly in the second half with Paula McGrory firing past Smyth in the Linfield goal after 49 minutes. After a scrappy period Halliday netted her second of the night when floating her shot from the edge of the box over Friel. Sienna Leckey grabbed a fifth goal picking up a loose ball and curling her shot into the top corner. 16 year Halliday rounded off her night with a fine individual goal twisting and turning in the box before shooting past the home keeper for her hat trick goal.
Subs Marshall and McConnell replaced Power and E. Leckey (67 mins) and Dickson replaced Bassett (79 mins)
Final score - Derry City 1 Linfield 6
Keri Halliday (below) signed recently from Ballymoney United and she scored her first senior goals, aged 16.
Sienna Leckey scored her first senior Linfield goal.
Last but not least, with no keeper available on the night, Alison Smyth answered the call of duty and went into goal.
