Captain Steph Bannon was sent off late on

Sunderland ladies boss Mick Mulhern blamed a lack of match sharpness for Sunday's 2-1 away defeat by Doncaster Belles in the Premier League.

The match was the Wearsiders' first since mid-December and defeat brought the Belles to within five points of Mulhern's league leaders.

"We never really got going today and were obviously rusty after such a long lay-off," Mulhern said.

"Mistakes cost us dearly. Our efforts deserved a share of the points."

Both sides had been level until the 74th minute when the hosts took the lead via Rachel Williams and the midfielder made sure of the points with two minutes.

Steph Bannon netted a consolation for Sunderland before she was dismissed following a scuffle.

Sunderland remain top of the table, a point clear of Arsenal who have six games in hand.

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