This season, the coaching team have been keen to showcase patience and quality during games and that was evident from the first minute in West London last weekend.

It didn’t take long for the attacking press and compact defence to work a chance in their favour. A ball from Jodie Reid found Jessica Stickley in the middle and she scored into the bottom corner.

Brentford were dominating play as the first half went on, creating chances too. Attacking players Nadia Peters and Kaitlyn Spencer-Dempsey were using their pace to get on the end of some well placed through balls from captain Mollie Holmes and Sophie Troth in midfield, who were given the time and space to control the game and dictate play.

Peters scored the second goal of the afternoon with a fine finish, then added to it before half-time with a superb solo effort.

Borough started the second half strongly, having clearly been told to put more pressure on their opponents, but Brentford remained in control. It wasn’t as comfortable as the first period, with both sides creating chances. It was the home side that were on the back foot as Lily Jones for Islington made the most of a loose ball, slotting it home to make it 3-1.

Brentford soon restored the three-goal lead, as Troth clipped through a pass that, at first, looked to be overhit. Spencer-Dempsey showed determination to get to the ball before the keeper and slotted it home, her knee still bleeding heavily under the bandage put on in the first half.

Both sides were determined to keep the tempo going, with Emily Boycott in the Brentford goal called into action several times. The final whistled confirmed the result, a well-earned 4-1 win and three important points. The Bees are third in the league after two wins from two to start the season, Clapton and Dulwich above them by a single point but with an extra game played.

Today, Sunday 4, they face Walton Casuals away from home at the Xcel Sports Centre, a team that have also taken full points from the opening two fixtures. They feature former Bees player Ashley Cheatley among their ranks, making for an interesting narrative this weekend.

BEES: Boycott, Goolab, Graver, Holmes, Peters, Reid, Short, Spencer-Dempsey, Stickley, Troth, Branaowski. Subs: Courlander, Dalton, Goodwin, Webb, Wiltshire.

BORO: Ballantyne, Brunyee, Cleary, Copsey, Hunter, Jones, Kitagaw, Layton, Webster, F. Morgan, M. Morgan. Subs: Anstey, Mbula.