Albion claimed a hard-fought victory in the Continental Cup as Amy Merricks's side beat London City Lionesses 2-1 at Princes Park in Dartford.
Goals either side of half-time from Elisabeth Terland and Victoria Williams secured three points after Karin Muya had equalised for the WSL Championship leaders early in the second half.
It was an even contest for long periods and both sides exchanged early blows with Park Yeeun having the first real opening inside ten minutes, but her flicked effort from Poppy Pattinson’s low cross into the six-yard box was scrambled clear.
The Lionesses responded with their best attack of the game five minutes after Park’s chance, but Williams was in the right place at the right time to divert Jamie-Lee Napier’s cross to safety with Atlanta Primus lurking at the back post.
On a pitch soaked by Saturday’s night’s torrential rain, both teams struggled to move the ball quickly and it took the best part of 25 minutes for the next opening which fell to Megan Connolly on the edge of the area.
It would have been a stunning return to the starting eleven for the Irish international after her prolonged period out with injury this term, but the midfielder’s sweet volley from 25 yards following Vea Sarri’s corner flew just over the crossbar.
After that close call, Albion did take the lead in the 36th minute when the ever-dangerous Katie Robinson pounced on a defensive mix-up to beat Lionesses goalkeeper Shae Yanez to the ball, and she squared to Terland who tapped us in front from eight yards.
It was deserved as we had edged the first half, but Napier gave Merricks’s side a scare seconds after the opener when she raced through on goal, but the offside flag belatedly went up, before Amy Rodgers hammered a half-volley over the bar.
Albion held onto the lead at half-time, but were dealt a blow two minutes into the second 45 after Terland was forced off with a head injury after colliding with Lily Agg, and things went from bad to worse in the 53rd minute when Muya equalised.
The winger took a touch before confidently finding the bottom corner from ten yards and the hosts were buoyed by their leveller, as Agg so nearly put them ahead on the hour-mark but shot over from just inside the area.
It was end-to-end stuff after the equaliser but we regained some control and took the lead for the second time when Williams planted a perfect header into the top corner after 66 minutes.
Connolly’s brilliant free-kick found the skipper at the back post and she gave Yanez no chance, but the keeper did well to hold onto Sarri’s low shot five minutes later and dived at the feet of Robinson to deny the winger when she was through on goal.
Albion were pushing hard for a third goal now and another Connolly free-kick nearly forced Hayley Nolan to put the ball into her own net, but it flew inches wide of the post and behind for a corner.
The resulting set-piece caused more chaos in the area and Sarri’s deep corner was scrambled over the line and into the back of the net, but Williams was adjudged to have interfered from an offside position and the goal was ruled out.
Despite the pressure they were facing, the Lionesses refused to lie down and Agg came agonisingly close to equalising with a powerful shot from 30 yards that smacked the crossbar, before Walsh did well to hold onto Lucy Shepherd’s header ten minutes from time.
But it was not to be for the hosts and Albion held on for victory to make it three unbeaten in all competitions.
Albion: Walsh, Green, Williams, Fox, Pattinson, Bance (Lee 58), Park, Terland (Carter 52), Connolly (Zigiotti 78), Sarri (Kullberg 85), Robinson.
Subs not used: Startup, Jarvis, Symonds.