Durham Women claimed a well-deserved victory against top tier side Everton Ladies in their second Continental Tyres Cup outing.
Zoe Ness’ well-taken effort in the first half proved enough for the Wildcats, who more than matched their professional opponents.
Lee Sanders was forced into three changes from the side that lost out to Reading, with Lauren Briggs, Ellie Christon and Emily Roberts all handed starts, while Megan Borthwick was given an opportunity to impress between the sticks.
And roared on by their home crowd, Durham began brightly with Rachel Lee and Abi Cottam both seeing early efforts saved by Everton stopper Kirstie Levell.
But the visitors were still a threat, with Danielle Turner firing across goal and narrowly wide after breaking into the area.
It was to be the Wildcats who took the lead, though, with Ness rifling home a first-time finish after some sloppy defending presented her with an opportunity.
The lead was almost short-lived, with Turner again a threat as she burst into the box and saw her shot beat Borthwick before cannoning back off the post.
Chances were at a premium as the half drew to a close, although Inessa Kaagman did send two efforts over the bar as Everton poured forward.
And Andy Spence’s side continued to push forward after the interval but struggled to break down a resolute Durham backline, with the centre back pairing of Sarah Wilson and Sarah Robson impressing throughout.
When they did get a sight of goal, Borthwick was more than equal to it – the stopper tipping a Kaagman free-kick around the post before coming out to smartly deny Simone Magill after she had sprung the offside trap.
The game died out with few real chances of note, as Durham saw out the game with minimal fuss to seal a monumental first-ever win over Everton.