Watford Ladies made history by playing at Vicarage Road for the first time this afternoon but the Golden Girls were unable to find a result to match the occasion as they were comfortably beaten 4-1 by Aston Villa Ladies in Women’s Super League 1.

The Golden Girls got off to the ideal start when Megan Wynne gave them the lead in the seventh minute, but one of the telling points of the first half was to come in the 13th minute when influential holding midfielder Chloe Gunn was forced off through injury.

Within four minutes, Villa were level through Kerri Welsh and the visitors then went on to take complete command in the first half, scoring three times in less than ten minutes.

Alicia Robinson scored the first with a superb strike from the angle of the penalty area, Katie Wilkinson made it 3-1 from the spot after Shayla Burgess was adjudged to have fouled Olivia Fergusson and then Robinson doubled her tally with a fourth.

With the game effectively won by half time, the second period increasingly began to drift. Villa had opportunities to extend their lead early after the break but were largely content to set on their lead while the hosts, who didn’t let their heads drop and kept battling, rarely looked like threatening a comeback as they suffered back-to-back defeats in their opening WSL1 fixtures of the campaign.

Perhaps the biggest plus to come out of the day for Watford was the attendance. The club had worked hard to try and attract a crowd of more than 1,000 to the game and their efforts were rewarded when the attendance was confirmed as 1,102.

Manager John Salomon made two changes from the team that went out of the FA Women’s Cup at last weekend following a 6-0 defeat at WSL1 side Chelsea. Gunn returned to play one of the midfield holding roles while Anneka Nuttall got the nod up front, as Mollie Burgess and Kim Farrow dropped to the bench.

Both teams set up similarly in 4-2-3-1 and after a scrappy opening five minutes, Watford had the chance to asset some pressure. Hollie Wride’s inswinging left-footed delivery from the left was put behind for another corner and from that second set piece the hosts made the breakthrough in the seventh minute.

Again Wride’s delivery into the near post posed problems, under-pressure goalkeeper Caitlin Leach was unable to gather and the ball broke nicely for Wynne in the six-yard box to stab home and make it 1-0.

Villa had a chance to get back on terms almost immediately as Abi Cottam tried a lob from the left side of the area ten yards out but she put it over.

The next attempt on goal went to the Golden Girls and it owed everything to the vision of Kate Natkiel, who tried an ambitious lob on the angle from at least 20 yards and the ball only just dropped over the bar and onto the roof of the net.

The hosts suffered a blow in the 13th minute when Gunn, who had been injured in trying to get on the end of her side’s opening corner of the afternoon, was unable to shake off the knock and was replaced by Jenna Dear.

Within four minutes Villa were back on terms, as a Robinson free-kick was floated into the box and Welsh headed into the bottom corner past helpless Hornets goalkeeper Shayla Burgess.

The Hornets needed to regroup after that setback but they almost retook the lead eight minutes later when a fine delayed pass from Stacie Donnelly released Nuttall on the counter-attack, but after breaking into the area she could only shoot straight at Leach.

It was to prove a costly missed chance as within a minute, Villa had gone 2-1 up in superb style as Robinson received the ball on the left angle of the penalty area and bent a fine shot into the far corner past Shayla Burgess, who could only stand and admire.

But for some superb defending from Wride, the visitors would have gone 3-1 up within two minutes as a mistake let in Fergusson, who rounded Shayla Burgess but the left-back was able to clear off the line.

But 3-1 it was in the 31st minute as Wilkinson calmly sent Burgess the wrong way from the penalty spot after Burgess was adjudged to have brought down Fergusson.

The hosts badly needed to get a foothold back in the game but within two minutes they had conceded another after Robinson was afforded too much space in the area and she calmly beat Shayla Burgess from around ten yards.

That was the third goal the Golden Girls had conceded in around eight minutes but there signs towards the end of the opening period that their heads were clearing as they had a couple of promising attacking opportunities, although Leach was not tested as her side took a 4-1 lead into the interval.

Watford Observer:

Watford had suffered as a result of affording their opponents too much space in the first half and they almost made to pay again within three minutes of the restart as Fergusson was given time on the right side of the area to shoot across goal and not too far wide of the far post.

Robinson, who was seeking a hat-trick, fired over from 20 yards after being set up by Fergusson, who initially looked like she may get a chance of her own, before the hosts suffered another injury blow when Renee Hector had to be helped off and was replaced by Mollie Burgess in the 57th minute.

It was her namesake, Shayla, her kept the score at 4-1 moments later as she dived to her left to superb claw away a Weslh header from a Villa corner.

Another chance came the visitors’ way moments later as Wilkinson met a ball into the box with her head but she put it narrowly wide of Shayla Burgess’ right-hand post.

Villa made their first change after 64 minutes as Sarah Mayling replaced Fergusson, but still the visitors looked the more likely to add to their tally as Welsh fired wide of the near post from 20 yards.

With Villa looking comfortable, they made a second change with 17 minutes remaining as Lauren Haynes came on for Welsh.

Dawn Mallett replaced Wynne with 12 minutes to go as Watford continued to try and look for a way through the Villa rearguard, without really suggesting they would manage it.

Maddy Cusack replaced Robinson with five minutes to go as Villa looked content to settle with their winning margin.

Cottam did sent an effort wide in the closing stages, as did Natkiel from the edge of the area at the other end as Villa comfortably saw out the win.

Watford Ladies: S Burgess; Heaslip, Hector (M Burgess 57), Robe, Wride; Gunn (Dear 17), Green; Natkiel, Donnellly, Wynne (Mallett 78); Nuttall. Not used: Zekai, Butterwick, Adamson, Farrow.

Aston Villa Ladies: Leach; Crackle, Richards, Owen, George; McCue, Robinson (Cusack 85); Fergusson (Mayling 64), Welsh (Haynes 73), Cottam; Wilkinson. Not used: Moran, N’Dow, Merrick, Myers.

Bookings: McCue (90).

Attendance: 1,102.