Chatham Town Women start season with 5-1 win over AFC Sudbury before London City Lionesses cup clash at the Bauvill Stadium and Sunday’s home league game against Milton Keynes Dons

Boss Keith Boanas was full of praise for his side despite admitting there’s room for improvement after Chatham Women hit five in their season opener.

It was a super start for Chats in National League Division 1 South East with a 5-1 away win against AFC Sudbury.

Bigger challenges await, but Boanas was delighted with the start.

“We can be better,” the Chats boss admitted.

“It certainly wasn’t one of our best performances, but you can't argue with a five-goal scoreline, away from home.

“They’re probably not one of the leading lights in the division on paper, but you've still got to go away from home and get a result.

“It's a fair journey to get there. We had a couple of injuries, but we still got through it.

“I wasn't over the moon with the performance, but certainly over the moon with the result, and proud of them in the end.”

There were logistical issues ahead of the game, with a late bus delaying preparations, but Boanas said: “The message was simple: anything you’re frustrated about, chuck it in the bin. They did that.”

Injuries kept Boanas busy on the touchline throughout the match, saying: “We changed it probably six times because of injuries but everybody adapted.”

Madison Woodgate dropped to right back and Charlotte O'Shea went in to centre-back. Parker Dunn replaced injured Romany Wellington early on but then also had to come off in the second half with a head injury.

Boanas added: “We had to shuffle the pack a few times but they all did a job. It was seamless and that's a real positive.”

Otesha Charles scored the opener for Chats on 10 minutes and Keresha Iton doubled their advantage after half an hour played.

Madison Woodgate made it 3-0 before the break. Sudbury got one back early in the second half but Ellie