Chesterfield FC Women manager Pete Jarvis was to reflect on a difficult afternoon for his side after they suffered a 6-0 home defeat against Loughborough Foxes Vixens.
There was a second-half dismissal for Amy Nowell as Chesterfield’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end.
Jarvis said: “It was really disappointing, we didn’t start the first half well at all.
“We came back into it in the second half, but then the game was changed very quickly and put a stop to that.
“I think today we have seen the two teams that will most likely be fighting it out for the league this season. We have learned a lot about our opponents, and there are things we can do better for sure.”
It was a tentative start by the Spireites, with the visitors controlling most of the early possession and winning their midfield duels.
The game’s first chance fell to Loughborough, whose stinging effort from the centre of the box was thwarted by Shanelle Ashtei.
Again, the visitors poured forward, this time unleashing a strike that whistled over the bar.
Chesterfield’s first-half opportunities came from set-piece situations, but the visiting keeper was assured in her dealing with them.
With 13 minutes on the clock, Loughborough took a deserved lead with a fantastic curled effort from Lucy Mutch past Paige Johnson.
The Spireites finally began to find their rhythm with some slick passing midway through the half, although they did not create any notable chances.
Despite this positive response, Ruby Barnes doubled the visitors’ lead in the 35th minute with a neat finish from the centre of the area.
After the break, the Spireites’ tactical tweaks had the desired effect as a spirited fightback seemed to be in the offing.
Jess Waplington’s fizzed cross found Evie Carter in the area, but the forward’s strike was well blocked.
A succession of corners soon followed for the home side; however, no blue shirt could apply the finishing touch.
The visitors then launched a lightning-fast counter-attack before Mutch unleashed a strike that cannoned back off the crossbar.
At the hour-mark, any momentum Chesterfield had gathered was drained from them when the referee awarded a penalty and issued a straight red card to Nowell.
Nowell was adjudged to have deliberately handled the ball in the area, much to the dismay of those on and off the pitch.
Emma Morris then coolly slotted home the resulting penalty to make it 3-0.
From this point onwards, the result seemed a foregone conclusion.
Only three minutes later, the visitors scored their fourth, when Mutch netted her second with a neat finish from close range.
Waplington had a rare Chesterfield chance with a header from a corner that went agonisingly wide.
With six minutes left to play, Freya Alexander got the fifth with an emphatic strike into the roof of the net.
Olivia Basham made it 6-0 with only seconds remaining.
The Spireites now turn their attention to the FA Cup when they head to Bradford on Sunday.
Jarvis said: “It’s been a very hard week, physically, for the girls. We are looking forward to the break now and focusing on Bradford next week. We will be ready to go again.”
