Adobe Women’s FA Cup
Kidderminster Harriers pulled off a huge upset on Wednesday night when they knocked out
Tier 3 side Stourbridge on penalties to reach the Third Round for the first time.
Eloise Harris fired Kidderminster in front during the first half and they held on until fifteen minutes from time, when Leonie Joyce fired home the equaliser for the Glassgirls to send the match into a penalty shootout, where the Harriers triumphed 4-2 to guarantee themselves a home tie against Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
Six teams from Regional League level are definitely through, with at least one more guaranteed to join them, including Chester-le-Street Town who also got through on penalties after sharing a 1-1 draw with Durham Cestria. Both goals came in the first half, Daisy Clarke putting the Wildcats in front and Jenny Ashton equalising, with the Cestrians going on to win 4-3 from the spot.
Brentford continued their impressive Cup run by claiming a National League scalp with a 1-0 victory over London Seaward, Nikki Woods scoring the only goal of the game for the Bees who are, in terms of status, the lowest ranked team to have got through to the Third Round so far (FC St Helens and Long Itchington still have Second Round ties to play).
Brentford will now be at home to Fulham, which means that there will be a London & South East League club in the Fourth Round. Megalie Mendes, Ella Tagliavini, Ella Newman and Ellie Olds all scored a goal apiece as Fulham narrowly won 4-3 against Eastern Region League leaders Royston Town.
Mancunian Unity marched into the Third Round following a 4-0 victory against Handsworth. Both teams had recorded excellent wins in the previous round and things remained tight until first half injury time, when Millie Jardine and Liz Ince put Unity two goals ahead at the break. In the second half, Jardine netted her second and Ellis Siddle rounded off the scoring with the final goal.
Next up, Unity will get the chance to test themselves against Tier 3 opponnets with a trip to Northern Premier Division high fliers Rugby Borough, who ran out 7-1 winners over Peterborough Utd. Yasmin Mosby and Mai Moncaster each netted first half braces to put Rugby four ahead at the interval and after the break, Mosby went on to complete her hat-trick on the hour and they added further goals through Nicky Potts and Jessica Camwell, before Ella-Mai Bale grabbed an injury time consolation for the Posh Women.
Shrewsbury Town were another team to make history, edging out Sheffield FC on a penalty shootout after the teams had battled out a 3-3 draw. 16-year-old Eva Stanley scored two of the goals for the Shrews and Kim Bebbington added the other, before the game went into spot kicks and Jeorgia Carr slotted home the winner for Shrewsbury who triumphed 4-2, after Katy Smith had saved the last Sheffield effort.
Shrewsbury have landed an away tie in the draw, against Wolverhampton Wanderers who emerged as 8-1 winners from their local derby tie against Sporting Khalsa. Amber Hughes and Destiney Toussaint both bagged doubles and the others came from Charlotte Greengrass, Beth Merrick, Ania Denham and Jade Cross, whilst Khalsa’s reply came from Laura Smith.
Liverpool Feds produced a powerful display to bring the Cup run of South Shields to an end. Katie Anderson hit a hat-trick in the final ten minutes to add to other strikes from Courtney Willis (2), Holly Deering, Olivia Francis, Aleesha Collins, Rosie Kinvig, Emma Johnson and Meg Boydell, all of the goal remarkably being scored in the second half. This sets the Feds up with a home tie against Championship side Sheffield Utd.
West Bromwich Albion were another side to safely negotiate an awkward tie, scoring six times without reply past Worcester City. Rhianne Oakley led the scoring with a hat-trick and she was joined on the scoresheet by Marli Rhodes-Andrews, Simran Jhamat and Ella Haughey. Albion will be at home again in the Third Round, to the winners of the postponed tie between FC St Helens and Cheadle Town Stingers.
Hashtag Utd’s tie with Ipswich Town was probably the tie of the round and the game lived up to expectations, with the Southern Premier Division title rivals not being separated over the match. Wiki Fronc opened the scoring for the Tags in the ninth minute with a stunning strike from 30 yards, with Maisy Barker heading Ipswich level before half time. Hashtag went back in front with seventeen minutes remaining when Holly Turner scored against her old club but the Tractor Girls were not beaten and, deep into injury time, Sophie Peskett broke through for another equaliser which took the game into a penalty shootout where Natalia Negri saved the first two kicks from the Tags to help Ipswich on their way to a 4-1 triumph from the spot.
Ipswich now have an intriguing home tie in the Third Round against AFC Bournemouth, who were 4-0 winners away to AFC Portchester. The home side acquitted themselves well against a strong Cherries side, who took an early lead through Molly Barron-Clark, before Chloe Gilroy doubled their advantage after the break and a Gemma McGuinness double sealed the victory.
Two other teams who are doing well in the Southern Premier Division met each other and it was Oxford Utd who progressed with a narrow 1-0 victory against Watford. Vitaliia Budaieva settled matters when she scored the only goal of the game, midway through the second half.
Oxford will be at home again in the Third Round, to Bristol Rovers who came through a potentially awkward tie away to Marine Academy Plymouth with a 5-0 win. Megan Jarvis kept up her recent scoring form and had a great day in front of goal, scoring four times in all, and Nia Rees added the other for Rovers.
Gwalia Utd meanwhile booked their place in the Third Round and a trip to London City Lionesses with a 4-0 victory over Bridgwater Utd. Stalwart striker Cori Williams-Mills was once more the heroine for her side as she scored a hat-trick, with Jessie Taylor adding the other goal.
There was late drama at Kayte Lane where Cheltenham Town staged a fightback to win 2-1 against Moneyfields. After Charley Wilson-Wilton had put the Moneys in front early in the second half, they hung on and a shock result began to look on the cards until the final twelve minutes, when Ffion Llewellyn brought the home side back on level terms and Una Lue scored the winner in the dying minutes.
Cheltenham will be at home again in the Third Round, to Norwich City who were narrow 1-0 victors over Division One Midlands high fliers Leafield Athletic. The Canaries have been on a difficult run in the league in recent weeks but made it through against their in-form opponents, thanks to a penalty from Hope Strauss.
The Devon derby went the way of Exeter City, who ran out 5-1 winners over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park. Sophie Gillies and Sarah Stacey both netted twice and Georgie-Marie Barbour-Gresham added the other goal, whilst Argyle’s consolation came from Charlotte Whitmore.
Exeter have landed a home tie against Worthing FC Women, who came through a penalty shootout as they got past a plucky Aylesford side. Beth Hulme put Aylesford in front early in the second half, with Worthing hitting back to lead through Emily Linscer and a Sophie Humphrey penalty. Aylesford were to have the final say though and Emma Healy’s late equaliser secured a 2-2 draw and took the game through to spot kicks, where Worthing went through with a 5-3 victory.
Lewes kept up their upturn in form by winning 3-0 against AFC Sudbury, a result which secures them a plum trip to Charlton Athletic. Lois Roche fired the Rookettes in front early on and Olivia Carpenter added the second just ahead of half time. Muna Eze rounded off the scoring midway through the second half but the result was marred by a serious injury to Lewes striker Sammy Quayle, who sustained a fractured tibia and fibula. We wish her a speedy recovery.
Huddersfield Town earned themselves a trip to Sunderland after narrowly getting past Accrington Stanley with a 2-1 victory at the Wham Stadium. Charlotte Stuart netted a goal in each half to see Town progress against a plucky Stanley side who pulled a goal back through Niamh Corrigan as they pushed their National League opponents all the way.
London Bees emerged as 3-2 winners over Chatham Town from a well contested game at The Hive. Shamoy Campbell, Chloe Tambula and Mira Hoteit were all on target for the Bees to take them through, whilst Chatham’s replies came from Lottie Sharp and Amelia Woodgate. The Bees will have a short wait to find out who their next opponents will be, either Queen’s Park Rangers or Saltdean Utd whose tie was abandoned due to weather conditions during the second half, with Rangers leading 1-0 at the time. The match will be replayed this week.
Sophie Griffiths and Jess Muirhead scored the goals to take the North West League Division One South side through at the expense of their illustrious opponents. Next up for FC St Helens will be a home tie against Cheadle Town Stingers, who won 2-0 against Fylde Women, thanks to two second half strikes from Imogen Porteous-Williams.
Handsworth claimed a National League scalp, also from two tiers above, when they defeated York City 2-0. First half goals from Katie Jepson and Ellie Hollis-Bland gave the North East League side a stunning victory and they will now be up against Mancunian Unity, who had an excellent win themselves. Olivia Shaw and Millie Jardine each scored twice, with others from Isa Melicio and Celeste Gordon, as Unity ran out 6-2 winners over Stockport County.
South Shields made it through against Tier 3 opponents Halifax FC Women, beating them on a penalty shootout after the match had finished level at 3-3. Megan Cardenas, Danielle Whitham and Chloe Fisher all scored for Halifax whilst Shields netted through an Ashley Townsend double and Ellie White, before they triumphed 4-3 from the spot. Shields face more opposition from the same level in the Second Round as they will play host to Liverpool Feds, who came through another awkward tie with a 7-2 win at Thornaby Women, Beth Donoghue was on target twice along with Emma Johnson, Evie Smith, Aleesha Collins, Holly Deering and Emily Cole.
Shrewsbury Town claimed a fine 3-2 victory over Northampton Town at the Croud Meadow, thanks to goals from Katie Doster, Vikki Owen and captain Pip Wilson. The Shrews will be at home again in the next round, to Sheffield FC who came from behind to beat Penrith AFC Ladies 2-1 with Lucy Cook and Amy Nelson on target.
Fulham were another side to put out National League opponents, notching up a 7-0 success against Chesham Utd. Georgia Heasman netted twice and there was one apiece from Ellie Olds, Stella Gandee-Morgan, Megalie Mendes, Madison Parsonson and Isabel Taylor-Makepeace. Next up for Fulham will be an intriguing home tie against Eastern Region League leaders Royston Town, who eased past Newport Pagnell Town with a 3-0 victory with strikes from Neve Mayes, Amy Reed and Jordanne Sillitoe.
Leafield Athletic continue to have a fine season and they took a higher division scalp with a 3-1 win away to Derby County. Evie Gallop had given Leafield a sixth minute lead which was quickly cancelled out by Camille Jenkins, but Jessica Lowe put Leafield back in front just after the hour and Tiara Jade put the seal on a superb result for her side with the third late on. Leafield face a long journey in the next round as they must go to Norwich City, who got past Cambridge Utd with Ceri Flye netting the only goal in a 1-0 victory.
Peterborough Utd were another team to eliminate a side from the level above, beating Billericay Town on penalties after the teams had shared a 2-2 draw. Niamh Connor and Niamh Reynolds both netted for the Posh Women, with Abbi Smith and Maddie Biggs on target for Billericay, before Peterborough triumphed 4-2 from the spot. The Posh Women will be away in the next round, to Rugby Borough, Angelina Nixon bagged herself a four-goal haul as they stormed to a 7-0 win against Lincoln City. Nicky Potts, Yasmin Mosby and Mai Moncaster contributed the other goals for Rugby.
Ellie Tanser bagged a hat-trick for Hull City as they defeated Washington Women 7-0. Rachael Ackroyd (2), Helen Lynskey and Shakala Brookes added the other goals which sees Hull through to face Middlesbrough in the Second Round. ‘Boro faced an awkward trip to Wythenshawe Women who are going well in the North West League but Mick Mulhern’s side safely negotiated a difficult hurdle, thanks to an Ellen Turnbull double and Lauren Robson.
Durham Cestria made it through with a 4-0 victory against North East rivals Norton & Stockton Ancients, all of the goals coming in the first half. Erin Nicholson was on target twice for Durham along with Daisy Clarke and Nicki Gears. This sets up another local derby tie in the Second Round for the Wildcats as they must host Chester-le-Street Town, who were 1-0 winners away to Curzon Ashton thanks to a solitary strike from Rhiannon Gray.
Huddersfield Town scored seven times without reply past Nantwich Town. Charlotte Stuart and Autumn Housley each bagged braces for Town, with Molly Firth, Ashley Tiripke and Kate Mallin also getting on the scoresheet. Huddersfield will be on their travels in the next round, to Accrington Stanley who were 1-0 winners away to Rossington Main, Flossie Jones scoring the only goal of the game.
Burnley FC Women proved to be too strong for Spennymoor Town, scoring twelve times in all in their clash at Turf Moor and the Clarets will be at home again in the next round, to Bradford City who claimed a 2-1 victory away to Preston North End, thanks to Hannah Markey and an own goal.
Tammi George led the scoring with a hat-trick, Rachael Quigley added a couple and there was one apiece from Beth Merrick and Abi Loydon as Wolverhampton Wanderers ended the hopes of Asfordby Amateurs with a 7-1 victory. Wolves will face a local derby tie in the next round, hosting Sporting Khalsa who netted five time without reply at Notts County, their markswomen were Layla Kennerley, Hannah Sparkes, Emily Brett, Macy Winters and Annabel Davies.
Stoke City were also 5-0 winners against Hednesford Town, Millie Ravening and Evie Priestley each scoring twice along with Shannon Stamps. The Potters will be at home again in the Second Round against Loughborough Lightning who won 2-1 against Sutton Coldfield Town, Poppy Wright and Jade Arber were both on target for Loughborough after Niamh Deasy had put Sutton ahead.
Mariam Mahmood and Rhianne Oakley both netted twice along with Simran Jhamat, Phoebe Warner and Ellie May as West Bromwich Albion ran out 7-1 winners away to Knowle. Albion have landed a home tie in the draw against Worcester City, who reached this stage by winning 3-2 away to Stamford FC Women, Annie Highway netting twice for Worcester including a late winner, with Olivia Mitcham adding the other after they had trailed at one stage.
Kidderminster Harriers are through to the Second Round for the first time in their history after goals from Millie Rogers, Eloise Harris and Beth Gallagher earned them a 3-1 victory over Port Vale. Kiddy now have a local derby home tie against Stourbridge, who were 5-1 victors away to AFC Telford Utd. Rosie Axten scoring twice and others from Daisy Clements, Tilly Fantom and Rosie Embley.
Nottingham Forest who saw off the challenge of Boldmere St Michaels by beating them 3-1. Melissa Johnson and Charlie Wellings put Forest into a two-goal lead at the break and after Lataya Bojang renewed hopes for the Mikes as she pulled one back on the hour, Johnson netted what was a decisive third goal five minutes later, completing her double on the day. Forest will be on their travels in the Second Round, to Long Itchington who reached this stage for the first time as goals from Lauren Jones and a second half brace from Abbie Bourton saw them win a well contested tie 3-2 against River City.
Brentford’s front duo of Ashley Cheatley and Chloe Logie inflicted the damage with two goals apiece as they recorded a fine 4-2 victory against Southern Region League leaders Ascot Utd. The Bees will be at home again in the Second Round, to National League opposition in the form of London Seaward who reached this stage by beating Hackney 3-1, courtesy of a goal apiece from Leila Awan, Katherine Long and Laila Malcolm.
First half goals from Courtnay Ward-Chambers, Anna Maria Dzyadyk and Stevie Kennedy took Queen’s Park Rangers to a 3-0 victory away to Penn & Tylers Green. Rangers must now take on Saltdean Utd who took their good league form into the cup, Georgia Bridges and Kirsty Barton scoring the goals as they beat South London Women 2-1.
There was late drama at Farnham Town where the home side’s Cup run was brought to an end by London Bees, who beat them 2-0 with an injury time double from Millie Isherwood (see match report). The Bees have been rewarded with a home tie in the Second Round against Chatham Town, who ran out 5-2 winners over Dorking Wanderers.
Holly Turner netted a second half brace, along with Honor Norton, Francesca Finlayson, Grace Gillard and an own goal, as Hashtag Utd progressed with a 6-0 victory over Wroxham. This sets up a mouthwatering Second Round tie against fellow Southern Premier Division high fliers Ipswich Town who reached double figures against Milton Keynes Dons for the second successive week, Natasha Thomas was on target five times, Angela Addison and Shauna Guyett each contributed double figures and there was one apiece from Leah Mitchell, Sophie Peskett and Kyra Robertson.
Aylesford continued what has been their best run in the competition, booking themselves a Second Round place when Rebecca Keyte, Kara Richardson and Alex Witham all scored to give them a 3-1 win against Reading FC Community Trust. The London & South East League Division One South side have drawn another home tie against National League side Worthing, who returned from Comets with a 5-2 victory under their belts, courtesy of a Danielle Lane double, Katie Cooper, Georgia Tibble and Amelia Davies.
Oxford Utd meanwhile faced a tricky tie against in-form Actonians Ladies but made their way through with a 5-0 win, with Jenna Legg, Sarah King and Phoebie Poole putting them three up at the break and Lucy Trinder adding a second half brace. The U’s will be at home again in the Second Round, to Watford who got past AFC Wimbledon by winning a penalty shootout 4-2, after the teams had battled out a closely contested goalless draw.
Luton Town moved a step closer towards emulating their feat of reaching the Fourth Round last season when they won 4-2 away to Hutton. Natasha Fensome, Amber Leighton, Eleanor Wade and Carla Todd all scored a goal apiece for Luton who will be up against fellow Eastern Region League side Stevenage Women after they defeated Cambridge City on a penalty shootout, Rebecca Edge and Amy Makewell having scored their goals as the match finished level at 2-2.
Lewes were taken all the way to penalties by Dulwich Hamlet before evenutally booking their place from the spot. After a goalless first half, a long range strike from Phoebe Leitch put Hamlet ahead, with Olivia Carpenter levelling the scores for the Rookettes with nine minutes remaining. The game ended 1-1 with Lewes triumphing 6-5 from the resulting shootout, Sydney Schreimaier slotting home the winning penalty. Lewes have been rewarded in the next round with a home tie, against AFC Sudbury who enjoyed a much smoother passage, beating Bowers & Pitsea 3-0.
Fern Orchard scored twice along with Charlotte Whitmore, Ella Stephens, Caitlin Smith and Imogen Crawford as Plymouth Argyle ran out 6-0 winners over Poole Town to set up a meeting with Exeter City in the Second Round. Exeter oversaw the challenge of Keynsham Town with a 4-0 victory. Sophie Gillies put the Grecians in front on the half hour and a double ahead of half time from Sarah Stacey put them in control of the tie, before Amber Pollock added the final goal with eighteen minutes remaining.
Cheltenham Town ultimately proved to be too strong for Yeovil Town whose cup run came to an end with the home side netting seven times without reply. Abbey Hateley, Una Lue, Anais Trinci, Libby Bell, Jess Leach and Emily Owen were all on target for Cheltenham, along with an own goal. Cheltenham will be at home again in the next round to Moneyfields, who came away from Bournemouth Sports with a 1-0 win, Shannon Albuery scoring the only goal of the game with nine minutes remaining.
Bristol Rovers were pushed all the way by Sherborne Town before emerging as 4-3 winners. Charlotte Buxton, Daisy Ackerman, Megan Jarvis and Poppy Wannell were the markswomen for Rovers who will be away in the next round, to Marine Academy Plymouth who were 4-0 victors away to Bursledon, courtesy of a double from Elizabeth Overton as well as other strikes from Abbie Woodward and Carmen Morison.
Gwalia Utd overcame a tough challenge against Division One South West leaders Swindon Town by beating them 4-1. Ellie Sargent gave Gwalia an early lead which was cancelled out by Tori St Clara, but a Cori Williams-Mills penalty restored the home side’s lead and Casi Gregson sealed a hard earned win with goals either side of half time. Gwalia must now take on Bridgwater Utd who came through a tricky tie away to in-form Torquay Utd with a 1-0 victory, Connie Pengelly scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot against her former club.
AFC Portchester continued their good run in the competition and are the last remaining Southern Region League side left, following their 4-1 victory away to Winchester City Flyers. Gemma Hillier bagged a brace, with Samantha Jennings and Eilidh Currie adding the others for Portchy who face a daunting task in the next round against AFC Bournemouth, 6-0 winners away to Saltash Utd. Erin Bloomfield was on target twice for the Cherries along with Molly Barron-Clark, Amber Treweek, Katie James and Alisha Buckingham.
She initially joined Glasgow City in 2007 before having spells at Celtic and Hibernian. In her second stint with City between 2012-14, she played a key part in the first three of four domestic trebles in a row and is one of a small handful of players to have reached the UWCL quarter finals twice for the side. She now returns to support former teammate Leanne Ross from the sidelines.
Speaking on her decision to make the move Crichton said: “The excitement immediately comes from being back at a team competing at the top of the table and looking for silverware at a place where I had spent a huge part of my career and experienced many enjoyable seasons over the years.
“I always felt that I would at some point com back to Glasgow City because of the love that I have for the club but I thought it was important that I went away and proved myself in a new environment. I had a fantastic time working alongside Paul Brownlie at Motherwell and hopefully everyone saw what we were trying to achieve.
“A lot has changed in the last few months I'm on the UEFA Pro License course and I'm a new mum as well; for me it was about finding that balance between family and football. Coming back to Glasgow City I knew that they'd welcome and embrace my family, support me in being a mum and also in becoming the best coach I can be.
“It's going to be a real buzz to work with Leanne, we were room mates with the national team and team mates at Glasgow City. We have always challenged each other but there is always that respect between us and a shared work ethic to push for the very best.
“This is the first time that I will have had the opportunity to work at a fully professional side and being involved in that day to day, working with a very talented group of players, is super exciting too.
“I can't speak highly enough about the facilities, the resources that are being made available and everything that is going on behind the scenes. To have the opportunity to come back to a club that I love; to work with people that I respect and to continue to go after that success it's certainly lit a spark that's for sure.”
Head Coach Leanne Ross was pleased to move quickly to replenish her staff with a familiar face following Scott Booth's move to Aberdeen. ''Leanne is somebody with deep connections at the club and brings a lot of experience in the game both as a player and now as a coach working with Motherwell and the Scotland youth national teams,” she said.
“It felt like a good fit and she is the right person with the process to bring her in completed pretty quickly.
“I don't think there is anybody else better in terms of knowing me and I know we will be able to work together to continue to build that relationship. She's somebody that I can trust and challenge me and the group in the right way which I know is important.”
CEO Laura Montgomery was delighted to welcome Leanne back to the club: “Leanne Crichton is a club legend and has been at the heart of some of our biggest moments. I am delighted that she has now returned to continue her journey as a coach supporting Leanne Ross and the team.
“Her experience as both a player and now as a highly qualified and talented coach will be invaluable and it continues our commitment to provide opportunities for those who have helped shape the club that continues to blaze a trail for women in football.”
Crichton will join up with the club next month.
Photos courtesy of Glasgow City FC
