Notts County Ladies 1 - 1 Arsenal Ladies

Notts County's first ever game in the FA Women's Super League finished 1-1, as over 1500 fans at Meadow Lane saw the Lady Pies take on Arsenal, one of the most decorated women's teams ever, and secure a draw and a point after taking them all the way. The game went through the motions in the opening stages, but in the 10th minute, Jess Clarke was able to weave her way through the Arsenal defence before firing just wide.

Clarke would continue to cause havoc in the Gunners back line, curling an effort wide just past the quarter-hour mark before attempting a shot from distance five minutes later.

It wasn’t just the 24-year-old winger who proved a handful for the away side – Emma Mitchell had to be at her best to thwart the marauding Dunia Susi in the 25th minute.

Then came the breakthrough, and much to the delight of the home fans, it fell to Notts, as the ever-dangerous Clarke beat her marker and curled an effort past Emma Byrne for the first goal of the match and the first ever Notts County WSL goal.

Arsenal, one of the league’s strongest teams, were determined to overhaul the deficit, and just after the half-hour mark could have pulled one back, but Kelly Smith’s effort, following good work from Shinobu Ono, soared over the bar.

Towards the end of the first half, Clarke’s free kick fell to the head of Sophie Bradley, but unfortunately the effort flew wide. Nevertheless, the Lady Pies were leading 1-0 at the break.

The Arsenal half time team talk must have invigorated the players, because they were more menacing in the second period. Leah Williamson saw her header tipped away by Notts keeper Carly Telford just four minutes into the half, but worse was to come.

In the 54th minute, Ono’s effort was blocked, but the ball fell to Alex Scott, who then unleashed a fierce volley past Telford to make it 1-1.

From then on it was virtually all Arsenal, as Danielle Carter, Rachel Yankey and Kelly Smith all had chances to score around the hour mark, while in the 72nd minute, Smith’s pinpoint free kick smashed against the underside of the bar before being cleared off the line.

Notts, with their backs to the wall, survived an effort that had goal written all over it with just five minutes to go in the game – Freda Ayisi’s shot was cleared off the line by Bradley, with the rebound falling to Scott whose improvised effort was then deflected onto the bar and subsequently cleared in a flurry of franticness.

That proved to be the last significant action of the game, and as the final whistle blew on a pulsating encounter, the home side surely would have been happy to secure a draw against such tough starting opposition.

As it stands, only four of the eight teams comprising the FA Women's Super League have played their first fixture, and alongside Notts County and Arsenal, Birmingham City and Everton also drew 1-1.