Glentoran Women, Cliftonville Ladies, Linfield Women and Lisburn Ladies all picked up three points apiece as the Sports Direct Women’s Premiership begins to turn into the home straight.

With only five games remaining the Glens and Reds are breaking clear of the pack, and so it proved on Friday evening as they swept to crucial victories over Sion Swifts Ladies and Larne Women respectively.

The Glens have Kerry Beattie to thank for a hat-trick as Sion became the latest victims at Ashfield.

The league’s leading scorer helped herself to two goals inside the first three minutes, before claiming her hat-trick in stoppage time.

Zoe McGlynn had pulled one back for the League Cup finalists after a quarter-of-an-hour whilst Emma McMaster restored Glentoran’s two-goal lead early in the second half.

The Reds hit double figures as they pushed Larne aside at Solitude.

Toni-Leigh Finnegan hit an early double to set the ball rolling before Marissa Callaghan hit a couple of her own in addition to a Kirsty McGuinness strike all before the break.

Caitlin McGuinness then got her name on the scoresheet just before the hour, and again with a little over ten minutes remaining.

Cliftonville then finished with a flourish with three late goals. Callaghan claimed her hat-trick on 89 minutes, Claire Shaw added another moments after that and Fionnula Morgan wrapped it all up in stoppage time.

Linfield came from a goal down to get past bottom of the table Derry City at Midgley Park.

Ellie Redden had fired the Candystripes in front inside the opening ten minutes only for Mia Moore to level midway through the first half.

Moore found the net again not long after the interval before Carla Devine made sure of the points with seven minutes remaining.

Meanwhile, at the Bluebell Stadium, three second half goals saw Lisburn Ladies defeat Ballymena United Women.

Morgan Shannon broke the deadlock just before the hour with Michelle McDaid doubling up on 76 minutes ahead of a third from Stacey Murdough right at the end of normal time.