It was a great Sunday all-round as Watford Women thumped Billericay Town 5-1 in their last fixture of 2024.

The dominant away victory lifts Watford to fifth in the National League South table, and they have a game or two in hand on three of the sides above them.

They only needed 10 minutes to make the breakthrough as Coral Haines found the top corner with a trademark long-range strike.

The midfielder then added a second in the 28th minute, netting after Ellie Head had flicked on Flo Fyfe’s cross.

Head then got in on the act four minutes later, seizing on a chipped ball forward from Dre Georgiou before slotting home.

The 3-0 half-time lead became 4-0 just two minutes after the restart when Annie Rossiter swung over a corner and Georgiou opened her account for the season after his first shot had been blocked.

Watford were running riot and they made it 5-0 after 64 minutes when substitute Maddison Perry scored her first for the club only minutes after coming on.

The game was well and truly over at that point, and although the home side pulled a goal back with 15 minutes to go it did nothing to take the gloss off a very impressive win for the Hornets.

The added bonus for Watford was a return to league action for Kalani Peart as a second-half sub, and a late senior debut for Francesca Vigo.

The Women resume their campaign in the new year on Sunday January 5, when they host Lewes in a league game at Grosvenor Vale before a run of four away fixtures in the following five matches.

Watford: O’Sullivan; Meiwald, Chandler, Hind (Peart 81), McLean (Perry 55), Rossiter, Georgiou (Vigo 89), Haines, Head (Davison 69), Fyfe, Gale (Mehmet 69). Unused sub: Goldsmid.