Joyce Esser was the hero again for Hampstead & Westminster Ladies as they won their first home game in the National League.

After hitting the winner last week in a dramatic 4-3 win over Maidenhead, Esser scored the only goal against Harleston Magpies to secure a 1-0 victory.

A physical Harleston side were always going to present a tough test for H&W, and so it proved as their disciplined approach left little room for the hosts to play their natural passing game. Neither side could break the deadlock before half-time.

H&W asserted themselves in the second half, and the winner arrived five minutes from time when a corner was played to Esser and she struck the bottom left corner.

Meanwhile, Hampstead & Westminster men came away with a point thanks to a 2-2 draw with Cannock at Paddington Recreation Ground.

H&W took the lead when Stuart Loughery slotted home from a short corner to get his first goal since joining the club from Cannock in the summer.

Cannock equalised through Mark Daniel, and the sides went in level at half-time.

H&W regained their lead through Neil Hamilton’s penalty stroke 10 minutes into the second half. They had chances to seal the victory but conceded late on from Arjan Drayton Chana.

After collecting just a point from their opening two fixtures so far, H&W will look to improve as they travel to Canterbury on Saturday.