Lincoln Ladies slipped to their first defeat of the season as they went down 1-0 at Aston Villa in the Women's Premier League Northern Division.

The home side went ahead in the 21st minute when Kelly Clarke fired home after goalkeeper Kay Hawke spilled the ball following a challenge.

In the second half Villa defended deeply as Lincoln sought the equaliser.

Lady Imps manager Rod Wilson admitted: "We all know that we've got much more to give than we gave today."

The defeat also denied them the chance to go to the top of the table, with the leaders Manchester City, who are the Lady Imps' next opponents, not in action.

Wilson said: "We need to put in consistent performances every week if we are going to win this league.

"But we must now also put this particular episode behind us, not dwell on it, and concentrate on what will be a very tough match on Sunday against Manchester City and get back into a winning routine."