New recruits Ellie Butler and Kelci Bowers both netted debut goals as AFC Bournemouth maintained their National League promotion push with a 3-0 win over Maidenhead United on Sunday.

Butler, whose signing from Stourbridge was announced on the eve of the contest, drew first blood for the visitors at York Road with a venomous strike in the seventh minute.

And after Molly Barron-Clark had doubled the Cherries’ lead midway through the second half, Bowers, on loan from Portsmouth, bagged their 100^th goal of the season 13 minutes from time.  

Victory saw Steve Cuss’s team close the gap on Division One South West leaders Exeter City to six points, the Cherries still having two games in hand on the Grecians.

Butler seized on Isacc Gregory’s poor clearance and opened the scoring in emphatic fashion, rifling home an unstoppable drive from around 12 yards after seven minutes.

Magpies goalkeeper Rosie Wilmott-Joyce smothered Molly Barron-Clark’s speculative effort as the Cherries looked to double their lead.

Barron-Clark’s 35-yard free-kick flew past the upright before Lucy Cooper created an opening, only to clip her shot over the crossbar.

Wilmott-Brown safely gathered Butler’s long-range strike before Cooper’s deflected effort cleared the woodwork.

Amber Treweek arrived to guide a shot narrowly past the post after Alisha Buckingham’s corner had found her at the far post.

A frantic goalmouth scramble ended with Treweek’s shot being turned behind, Barron-Clark’s resultant corner headed over the top by Maisy Smith.

Gemma Hillier, teed up by Cooper, went close to scoring early in the second half, only to slip and clip her effort narrowly wide.

Butler fired into the grateful arms of Wilmott-Brown before Kelci Bowers replaced Olivia Venditto in the 53^rd minute to make her Cherries debut.  

Barron-Clark doubled the Cherries’ lead when she ended a jinking run with a ferocious right-foot shot which arrowed into the bottom corner midway through the second half.

Wilmott-Brown bravely threw herself in front of Cooper to block her effort before McGuinness’s follow-up was blocked and Katie James’s shot rolled past the post.

As chances continued to come, Kenni Thompson went close, Treweek hit the crossbar with a spectacular volley and Barron-Clark’s venomous strike flew past the upright.

Bowers joined fellow debutant Butler on the scoresheet when she applied a composed left-foot finish into the bottom corner to register the Cherries’ 100^th goal of the season in the 77^th minute.

AFC Bournemouth: Kosińska, Jones, Smith, Treweek, Venditto (Bowers, 53), James, Barron-Clark, Hillier (McGuinness, 64), Buckingham (Thompson, 64), Cooper (Bloomfield, 70), Butler (Gilroy, 70).

AFC Bournemouth women are in action at Vitality Stadium against Keynsham Town on Sunday, March 24th. You can book tickets and select your seat here.