Exeter City Women moved back to the top of the division with a comfortable win at Portishead Town to set up a title showdown at the Exwick Sports Hub on Sunday.

On a tricky surface, City started slowly, winning a series of corners but unable to find the delivery to test Possets Goalkeeper Yas Davies. Zoe Watkins flashed an effort over the crossbar before Sophie Gillies’ mazy run through flying tackles was eventually intercepted. 

Jess Sandland’s long-range effort thumped off the underside of the crossbar and away to safety as Town sat deep and got bodies in the way of several City efforts on goal. 

As the Grecians began to find their range from set pieces, it would be a corner that eventually broke Portishead’s resistance. Ishbel Zuurmond’s cross was helped towards goal by Mollie Taylor and leading scorer Sarah Stacey was in the right place to convert from close range. 

Taylor and Stacey combined for another goalward effort, but on a day where quality was hard to instigate, City were struggling to piece together passages of play. However, with over a hundred goals to their name already this season, this is a team that usually finds a way and Sandland’s set piece delivery is certainly one of those ways. Her far post corner was met by the head of Gerogie-Marie Barbour-Gresham and City had two before the break. It was the defenders first goal since returning to the Grecians and one that has been coming in recent weeks. 

Beth Ireland fired an effort wide of Davies’ post at the beginning of the second half, Gillies effort a minute later even closer to a third goal. With Town deep and defending their penalty area it was going to take a moment of quality to add to the City tally, Taylor’s perfectly weighted pass into the path of Stacey was fired into the bottom corner. 

Cunningham’s well worked short corner set up an opportunity for Stacey to grab a hat trick, but her header was directed narrowly over the crossbar. Gillies’ twisted and turned her way into the penalty area in the latest attack, her low cross diverted into the bottom corner off a Portishead leg and City had four. 

Another set piece brought the fifth, the ball bouncing around in the penalty area before the boot of Barbour-Gresham diverted the ball into the bottom corner for her second and City’s fifth. The Grecians nearly came unstuck in the final moments, a poor pass out of defence led to a strike from distance, Abbi Bond diverting the ball away and, in the process, securing the league's Golden Glove award with her eleventh clean sheet. 

The final whistle brought a dash down the M5 to attend the club’s end of season award’s evening, but it was an early night for the Grecians as the focus turned to Sunday’s title decider. If Abbie Britton and Aaron Wakley’s side avoid defeat, then they will crowned the division Champions and promoted to the third tier of Women’s football for the first time in the club’s history. As final games of the season go, this weekend’s is a big as they come.