Motherwell lost their SWPL1 opener 4-2 at Forfar Farmington on Sunday.
After the initial 2020 campaign was cancelled in its infancy due to Covid-19, the new 2020/21 season brought a rematch of the opening game.
The women of steel were victorious back at the start of the year but that wouldn’t be the case this time around.
Doubles from Donna Paterson and London Pollard did the damage, despite Lauren Gallon also scoring two for the visitors.
The hosts took the lead after 40 seconds. With goalkeeper Ramsay misjudging that the ball was going behind for a Forfar corner, an early set play opportunity arose.
Working a short corner, the ball eventually came into the box from the left where the header was powered home by Paterson.
Forfar dominated possession in the opening exchanges before Motherwell started to grow into things, with Lori Gardner being denied what looked like a stonewall penalty.
Surging in from the left into the box, her run was cut short by the trailing leg of a defender, but the referee waved appeals away.
As the game started to even out in terms of possession, the hosts got a second.
Stopping a promising attack, Forfar swung the ball forward for Pollard to chase. Showing power and poise, she rounded the goalkeeper before making it 2-0 with 38 minutes gone.
‘Well kept at it and would halve the deficit before the interval.
Forfar failed to clear a corner and the ball broke nicely to Gallon on the right 12 yards from goal. Her first touch was perfect, before unleashing an unstoppable effort back across goal into the top left corner of the net.
The next goal would be crucial but it would fall to Forfar 10 minutes into the second period.
A run into the box down the left was ended by Roberts’ challenge from behind, with the referee pointing to the penalty spot.
Paterson would make no mistake from 12 yards, slotting low to the left as Ramsay went the other way.
The power of striker Pollard in attack had been causing frequent trouble which arose again with 21 minutes left.
Playing a quick one-two just inside the Motherwell half, she sprinted through and kept Watson’s challenge at bay, before slotting low into the bottom right corner from just outside the area.
Motherwell got one back only a minute later. Bursting up the park from kick-off and winning a corner, the flick on from the front post landed again to Gallon at the back to poke in.
Rice would go close with a header as Motherwell pushed on to try and salvage a result but it would be Forfar who would start the season with the three points.
Motherwell: Ramsay, Connor, Watson, Gallon, Roberts, Hay, Adams, Rice, Swanson, Gardner, Pullar.
Subs: Crooks, Reside, Baillie, Sinclair, Callaghan, Skelton, Trialist.