Chatham Women eased into the Final of the DFDS Women’s Cup at the expense of Aylesford Ladies, the final scoreline was harsh on the home side but certainly highlighted the gulf between the two sides.
Aylesford defended stubbornly and really well for an hour with keeper Sade Roder and skipper Alex Witham outstanding but once the Chats opened the scoring through half-time sub-Lottie Sharp, they simply ran riot as Millie Raynor helped herself to four goals – two of them from brilliant Sharp balls – Ellie Perkins poked home from a corner and Lucy Jones’ vicious swinging drive clipped the post on its way in…
The visitors made a number of changes from the side that had drew 0-0 at Dulwich the previous Wednesday but did welcome back striker Raynor from injury and how she was to show the sizeable Chats support in the decent crowd how she had been missed!
In the opening period, the Chats huffed and puffed – fully containing a spirited home side yet lacking the luck in front of goal. Jones hit the bar from a corner, Jess King saw a header also hit the bar whilst Raynor crashed an effort off the underside of the frame of the goal as Aylesford goal led a charmed life. Add to that a super save from Rider to deny Raynor with her feet and the home side were still very much in the game as was proved when Milly Penfold took advantage of a rare Chatham mistake at the back only to be smartly denied by keeper Simone Eligon.
Half time brought a triple change for the visitors which nearly plaid off immediately when Rider denied sub-Lottie Sharp brilliantly. Sharp then went even closer as it was her turn to crash a header back off the bar (from Amelia Woodgate’s cross), before Woodgate was denied by another super save from the Aylesford keeper.
Finally with 25 minutes left, the Chats got the goal they more than deserved. Perkins looked like she had overplayed a through ball for Woodgate, but the Chats player did brilliantly to keep the ball in play, beating the keeper and squaring for Sharp who hammered the ball into the empty net duly opening the floodgates.
Rayner glanced in number two moments later from an Ellie Jeffkins centre before being in the right place at the right time to head home number three after Jas Auguste’s cross shot had been palmed away.
Woodgate was then denied yet again by Rider – what a game the Aylesford keeper had despite going onto concede seven – but from the corner despite the best defensive efforts, Perkins made it 4-0.
Raynor then completed a nine-minute hat-trick tapping in after another brilliant Sharp run, before making her personal haul four in thirteen minutes, heading home for Sharp yet again!
When Jones let fly from 30 yards in stoppage time with a swerving effort that crashed home off the post, it simply was the icing on an amazing goal blitz for the Chats have now reached their second Cup Final of the season.
Whilst Keith Boanas’s side will travel to face Billericay in the Women’s Isthmian League Cup Final in early April, the Kent show-piece will be between the last two winners after earlier on Sunday afternoon holders Dartford secured their place by beating Bromley on penalties – the 2025 Final at the Gallagher Stadium is on Thursday 1 May at 7.45.
More Cup action for the Chats on Tuesday evening when they head to play Haringey Borough for a place in the last eight of the Combined Counties League Cup…
AYLESFORD LADIES – Ryder, Becky Burnham (Ella Brian), Selfe, Witham, Blythton, Keyte, Penfold (Armstrong), Ami Burnham (Hawkins), Kavanagh-Spall, Chloe Brian, Hulme (Healy)
CHATHAM TOWN WOMEN – Eligon, Maslak (Dunn), Wells, Coombs, Perkins, Auguste, King (Hynes), Wells (Jeffkins), Laverick (Sharp), Raynor, Maddy Woodgate (Amelia Woodgate)
REFEREE – Mr. Coderoy
Images courtesy of Allen Hollands