Holders Chatham Town Women booked their return to the Go-Cardless Kent Women’s Cup final with a battling win against a spirited Bromley Women’s side on Sunday afternoon. 

With one eye undoubtedly on next weekend’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup Fifth round tie at St Andrews against WSL2 side Birmingham City, the visitors were slow out of the blocks and the home side opened the scoring with a screamer from Beth Hull moments after Chats keeper Abby Baravik had magnificently denied the same player.

Bromley were well on top, deserved their lead and looked set to take the advantage into half time before Megan Maslak netted twice for the Chats in the final four minutes of the half to give the visitors a lead at the break that hadn’t seemed likely moments before. 

Bromley though didn’t “hide” and deservedly were back on level terms five minutes after the break when Amy Taylor took advantage of defensive hesitation to fire home.

This proved finally to be the wake-up call Chatham needed as they were soon back in front as Ellie Perkins poked home when a corner caused chaos in the home box. And when Perkins brilliantly looped home a header from another Amelia Woodgate corner with twenty minutes left there simply was no way back for the home side. 

In an enthralling contest that swayed one way and then the other, the visitors went close in the opening five minutes through Ciara Hynes – a free kick that stung the hands of keeper Charlotte Greenwood – and then Lottie Sharp, whose cross cannoned off a post! 

Hull thought she’d given Bromley the lead with a superb curling drive but reckoned without Baravik as the Chats American keeper somehow kept out the shot heading for the top corner but then recovered magnificently to deny Maddie Ferrand’s follow up. 

Hull though was not to be denied and after Ferrand did well down the left, her ball inside to Hull was magnificently despatched into the net to give the home side a deserved lead that they looked like defending comfortably until the break. 

As the half drew to a close, out of nothing, the holders levelled the score with a screamer of their own as Maslak picked the ball up wide thirty-five yards out, advanced and let fly with a drive that had Greenwood grasping at thin air! 

Incredibly, wing-back Maslak – whose appearances for Chatham this season have been restricted by working commitments – then got on the end of Amelia Woodgate’s deep centre to stroke the Chats into a half-time lead few could have imagined ten minutes before. 

Full credit to Bromley and they came out after the break and Taylor took full advantage of defensive hesitation to steer the home side level on forty-eight minutes, but that was as close as they were to get to the Final. 

The visitors stepped up a gear, and the hard-working Amy Russ was superbly denied by Greenwood plunging away to her right to tip the ball round the post. 

Chatham were now in the ascendancy and re-took the lead as Perkins bundled the ball home at the back post following a scramble after a corner caused chaos! 

Ote Charles was then denied by a really great defensive tackle, and whilst nothing came from the corner – except for another one – it was from the second flag-kick that Perkins was on hand to loop a header over the stranded Greenwood to give the Chats a two goal lead that they seldom looked like losing. 

The Chats could have had a fifth late on when a Charles shot was spilled and Karesha Iton was denied at the last minute, but the job had been done by then, and the Chats had won through to their second Final in four days! 

BROMLEY WOMEN – Greenwood, Searle, Jestin, Lee, Connor, Hutchings, Bovill, Hull, Davenport, Ferrand, Taylor.

Rolling subs – Espinosa, Woodhouse, White, Monaghan, Murton.

CHATHAM WOMEN – Baravik, Madison Woodgate, Jeffkins, Perkins, Jones, Maslak, Auguste, Hynes, Russ, Sharp, Amelia Woodgate.

Rolling subs – Charles, Iton, O’Shea, Dunn, Saleen.

REFEREE – Mr- Gillespie