Bryan’s early penalty was cancelled out by a great long range effort by Natasha Meade as the two sides battled it out in a tight first half. Bennett then saw her chance and finished with a cool left foot from the edge to seal the score at halftime for the home side.

Charlton went went on to extend their lead midway through the second half by Dixson’s header from Fliss Gibbon’s cross. Kristina Manktelow then stamped the message of intent for the rest of the league when she scored with less than five minutes to go making an emphatic victory.

The much anticipated league opener started in high spirits on a pristine pitch in good weather. The ball was taking its time to settle and there were a number of collisions early on as players acclimatised to the fixture.

On 12 minutes, it was no surprise to see a penalty break the deadlock and Bryan picked up from where she had finished in the final game of last season scoring to win the league title. This time placing the ball with finesse to the bottom right and Forest keeper, Wallhead could not get close.

For the penalty, Emma Beckett had swung in a dangerous corner that eluded many before Dixson did well to pull back and the resulting effort was handballed by Forest’s left-back, Emma Gilliatt.

Both Bryan and Gibbons had found themselves in opportunistic positions early amongst the play but couldn’t capitalise. Natasha Meade had the first real effort of the game in the seventh but that flew over from range – it was an early warning for what damage she could potentially impose. Gibbons pulled wide from the oncoming defence on the edge on nine but her effort went back across the goal.

After the opener, Becky Anderson hit back for forest another hearty effort from range that fell wide on 18 minutes but then Meade made no mistake second time round and capitalised with a great effort from 25 yards as she advanced from midfield. The effort dipped over the airborne Megan Lynch and crashed off the underside of the bar.

Forest buoyed by the goal took the game to the Addicks who had to weather some hearty attacking and some narrow misses before they won back some much required territory with Bryan and Bennett making sturdy work to win a corner.

It was Bryan who laid the ball over to Bennett in the 45^th and the midfielder showed great vision taking her chance as the keeper was wrong footed by the play and many would have read a pass over to Gibbons.

Gibbons and Bryan started lively in the second and started to find more space eventually hitting the by line as the Addicks midfield and defence had worked heartedly to weather the quick interchanges of the opposition.

Gibbons made impact on 77 minutes as she whipped in a sterling cross that Dixson - wearing the captain’s armband met charging into the six yard box with her head to take the game away from the visitors.

Manktelow, who came on on for Ellie Stenning just moments before the goal soon found herself in the thick of the action receiving the ball on the edge of the area and she jinked her way inside with a good view of goal.

Her shot was closed off disappointingly but the winger found the rebound facing the touch line and made no mistakes as she turned the recovering defenders to shoot into the opposite top corner.

The final quarter of an hour saw the home side run away with the fixture when the legs on the likes of Bryan and Manktelow were too much to live with for the tiring Forest defence.

Technical Director Paul Mortimer was delighted and couldn’t ask for more from the result, “I want people to look at that result and be surprised, Charlton have beaten Forest 4-1. I wanted Forest to come away today win, lose or draw saying they are a good side.”

“It was a bit scrappy first half but once we played our football we passed well and were fantastic. About ten minutes in I started to realise that this was nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be.”

Forest came second in the league last season, “They looked a young side. There was as stage when they were coming back into it but we weathered the storm well and we were the better side. It was a good goal but we should have closed them down. It just shows that we are still looking to improve.”

“There were a few incidents in the game and their manager had a little joke asking me whether I paid the referee because decisions went our way but I don’t think so. I didn’t see it that way. We played better on the day than them.”

“It’s the first game of the season. Can we go on and win again? It is a great start. Can we keep it going? Can we go away and win again? That is the challenge.”

“We’re going to Coventry next week they have just been promoted too. So it is another step into the unknown. We can go away and celebrate tonight but on Tuesday and Thursday we will be back training again for that fixture.”