Henderson stars as Notts get better of neighbours Forest

As expected the game was played at a good tempo, but it was Notts who were having the better of the exchanges and creating goal scoring chances.

After half an hour, Forest made a number of substitutions and almost immediately they had the ball in the back of the net from a neat diagonal ball which found a player in plenty of space to net.

It was a cruel blow as the home side were playing the better football but were just missing that killer instinct in front of goal.

The Magpies suffered a further blow when midfield player Abbie Truman had to make way for Emily George when she twisted her knee.

County were pressing high up the pitch and putting Forest under lots of pressure, which forced the visitors to pass the ball backwards and the keeper picked the ball up which resulted in an indirect free kick on the edge of the box.

Leia Ward passed the ball sideways for Sara Duffield to hit a thunderbolt into the roof of the goal for a well-deserved equaliser.

County continued in the second period where they had left off in the first and took the lead when a long ball from the keeper found striker Henderson, who ran onto the ball and despite being under pressure from a retreating defender held strong and placed the ball round the advancing keeper 2-1.

The Magpies increased their lead when Kelsea Marriott, from a wide position, pulled inside to unleash a terrific strike into the far top corner 3-1.

Despite the cushion, Forest were not going to lie down and they started to play with purpose and were pinning back the County defence, twice going close in hitting the crossbar and a post.

But Forest did get a reward as it was 3-2 following a slick move down the left.

However, the Magpies were not to be denied and wrapped up the game when Henderson’s solo run ended with her thumping the ball into the bottom corner to restore the two-goal lead.

Player of the match was awarded to the hard-working Henderson, who worked very hard to deny Forest time on the ball in addition to her two goals.

This week, the team will be in Notts FA Shield quarter-final action against Keyworth United.