SWINDON Ladies made a winning return to Premier One in the West Clubs League as they edged Cheltenham 1-0 in Saturday’s opener.

Last season’s Premier 2A champions featured debutants Emily Arrell and Megan Poole, while veteran Linda Brouwer bossed the middle of the park, combining superbly with Shona O’Dwyer, who caught the eye throughout the contest with incisive runs that challenged the defence.

Cheltenham finished the first half in the ascendency although it was Swindon that came out on the front foot in the second, producing good half-chances despite being forced to cope with nine players as Gemma Scrase and Chloe Lewis received green cards at the same time.

The winning goal arrived against the run of play as Lewis expertly controlled a short corner to slip the ball right to O’Dwyer who smashed the ball home via a deflection.

As Cheltenham pushed for the equaliser, Swindon right-back Charlie Watson showed composure to see out time.