Bolton Wanderers Women took a crucial step towards promotion on Sunday afternoon with an outstanding 8-3 victory over Penrith AFC Ladies.
It's a win that ensures the Whites head into next weekend knowing victory will secure promotion from the Division One North when facing Accrington Stanley in a top-of-the-table clash.
On the day in Cumbria, hat-tricks for both Madison Hardman and Neishai Gordon - as well as a brace for Eboni Bradshaw - secured the three points for Wanderers but it was an afternoon of football that didn't always fall in their favour.
Going behind twice inside 12 minutes, the Whites had to show huge resilience during spells of the game with Penrith - the only side to take points off them so far this season - to ensure they took the points back home to Bolton on a sun-soaked afternoon in Cumbria.
Myles Smith made three changes to his starting side that faced Morecambe last weekend, with Annabelle White returning from injury in-goal, as well as Millie Smith and Madison Hardman also coming into the team - the latter in place of suspended Jess Lightfoot.
Despite an early scare inside 30 seconds as a short back-pass was almost pounced upon by Jodie English - which drifted wide - they carved out an opportunity for themselves just a minute later as Gordon went close.
Smith’s clever pass split the Penrith defence open to find Bradshaw in space down the right-hand side. Her deflected cross found Hardman inside the area, who laid it off nicely to Gordon but fired over from a tight angle.
It was a lively start at Penrith Stadium, and the hosts took the lead through English after a deflected strike fell into her path to apply a tidy finish.
This triggered Wanderers into a response, and Smith started the move again with another defence splitting ball to find Bradshaw in a tried-and-tested combination. Eboni's cut-back found Hardman once more and she applied an emphatic finish to level it up.
As they were in the first meeting with the sides in March, Penrith were dogged opponents and pushed forward once more and got their rewards. An outstanding Heather Fawkes long-range strike was drilled into White's top-right hand corner from 25 yards to hand Penrith the lead again.
Despite being behind, it was the away side who were the most dominant and despite carving out opportunities shortly after going behind, they couldn't find that finishing touch.
First, Gordon again went close as Charlotte Tyers' endeavour allowed Neishai the chance to get a strike away on-the-turn but fired wide, before Hope Lawson produced a magnificent save to deny Bradshaw with her feet after a superb individual run put her through one-v-one.
Gordon was heavily involved for the away side, and had a huge chance to draw Wanderers back level as Tyers' threaded pass put her through down the right channel but her effort whistled past the top corner.
However, the attacking midfielder's persistence paid off and got her reward just before the half hour mark. Capitalising on another loose ball to burst through the Penrith defence and bear down on goal, Neishai kept her composure to convert and bring the score back to 2-2.
This settled Wanderers into the contest, and took the lead for the first time through Bradshaw's clinical header just three minutes later. Eleanor Seals' delivery from the corner was perfect, and the wing-back rose highest at the far post to power home and give the away side the lead their performance was deserving.
The Whites were in their groove, and Faye Knox wanted in on the action when spotting the 'keeper off her line and trying an effort from all of 30 yards that looked destined to find the net, but went just over Lawson's crossbar.
The hosts carried threat through, and Wanderers had Katie Holt to thank for a huge defensive effort when clearing away from an unguarded net after Abbie Wharton had beat White to a ball over-the-top and found English to get her shot away - but the Whites' skipper positioned herself perfectly to make a vital clearance.
Wanderers headed into the break with a slender lead, with the game sat on a knife-edge as both teams re-entered the field.
English went close again inside two minutes of the second half restarting with White making a smart save to her right. With that, Wanderers took control and extended their lead from the penalty spot.
Knox's driving run down the left beat Shay Robinson with ease before cutting the ball back for Gordon, who was brought down inside the area.
Penalty given, and Gordon picked herself up to convert coolly into the bottom-right hand corner to give the away side a two-goal advantage.
However, the hosts refused to go away and reduced the deficit as English grabbed her second of the afternoon following a pull-back from Elli Gallacher.
But in a second half packed full of attacking threat from Wanderers, they scored their fifth of the afternoon with arguably the goal of the day.
A beautifully lofted pass over the top from Knox was perfect to get through the defender and find the ever-willing run of Hardman. With the 'keeper to beat, she finished between Lawson's legs to find the back of the net and hand the away side control of the fixture.
From here, Wanderers upped the tempo and were ruthless in their approach of more. Caitlin Clarke, who stood firm all afternoon as part of Wanderers' back-line, played a brilliant ball through for Gordon to chase down.
The Whites' attacking midfielder was brave in her challenge to block the clearance from the on-rushing Lawson in the Penrith goal before applying an easy finish into an empty net to make it six.
Wanderers rung the changes in the second half to freshen up the side in the heat - with Flo Rigby, Lily Barnes, Emme Shone, Grace Grundy and debutant Ocean Flanagan all introduced - and the goals kept coming for Myles Smith's side in a dominant second half display.
Six became seven as another ball in-behind from Knox was chased down once more by Hardman in the left-hand channel, and superbly found the far corner under immense pressure from a tight angle.
At the other end, Holt again was strong with a block on a goal-bound Fawkes effort that was travelling to keep Penrith out, before Rigby found Knox to strike from 20 yards after a trademark jinking run but her effort went over.
With the heat having an effect and Wanderers controlling the game in the closing stage, they still had time to round off the win in style through another goal of the day contender despite Grundy cruelly had a goal disallowed for offside after confidently finishing a flowing Wanderers' move just moments earlier.
Bradshaw pounced onto a loose ball and let fly from all of 25 yards and found the net superbly to seal the win in emphatic fashion and round off the day in spectacular style.
With victory secured, Myles Smith's side head into a huge week in both league and cup - with Accrington Stanley ahead of them in the Challenge Cup final on Thursday before facing them at home on the Sunday.
Wanderers: White (GK), Clarke, Holt ©, Baldwin, Bradshaw, Seals, M. Smith, Knox, Gordon, Tyers, Hardman.
Subs: Barnes, Shone, Grundy, Rigby, Flanagan
Penrith: Lawson (GK), Robinson, Mason, Smith, Harkness-Grant, Green, Fawkes, Wharton, Wharton, Gallacher, English
Subs: Nelson, Fergerson, Routledge, Dudson, Mallison
Report by Katherine Byrne. Pictures by Jake Horrocks.