After being the Queens of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup last season, Chatham Town Women were pushed all the way as they squeezed past Farnham Town Women at the Bauvill on Sunday in the Final Qualifying Round.

As a tier Four side, the Chats made it all the way to the last sixteen of the competition last season and were always going have a bigger target on the back this year. So, when Farnham’s name came out, the Chats knew they had a tough afternoon ahead of them as many of the Town players and management featured for the AFC Wimbledon national league side that the Chats shocked last season.

And indeed, perhaps remembering the pain from that upset, the Farnham girls arrived in Kent intent on revenge and fulfilling one of their own and early on they went close through Doyle, before a goal that no one in red will want to see again as a free kick from Aleisha Buckingham is hammered into the home box, keeper Evie-Mae Turner-Ford can’t hold on and as the home defence stands and watches on, Meila D’Santos put the underdogs ahead.

Fortunately, the home side quickly rediscovered their cup fight and weren’t behind for long. The ever-improving Holly Turner, who is battling back after a year on the side lines after knee surgery played in Lucy Jones, but Rose Kite was on hand to make a magnificent save to keep out a rasping drive. From the corner, keeper Kite was there again to keep out the header.

But not even ten Kite’s would have prevented Turner’s equaliser and after scoring spectacular goals for fun in the cup run last season, we shouldn’t really have been surprised that when Turner let fly from thirty-five yards it arrowed and flew into the top corner like a rocket!

D’Santos fired high and wide for the visitor’s whist Charlotte O’Shea was sandwiched on a charge into the box but referee Jackson made the first of several bewildering decisions that at times strained a good cup tie almost to breaking point.

The home side didn’t come out at the start of the second period and were very fortunate not to go behind again after a series of poor defensive “touches”, the visitors should have taken the lead as Kelly-Jade Whelan and Emily Foss both had clear chances that they didn’t take.

The referee who clearly ignored the “counting encouragement” all afternoon only to book someone on the Chats bench when the visitors decided that they would “park the bus” rather than try for another go ahead goal as the final twenty minutes moved into the last ten.

Amelia Woodgate, who by her own high standards had a quiet afternoon was bundled over in the box by Price and referee Jackson had no hesitation but to point to the spot and up stepped Lucy Jones to smash the Chats into the next round.

It would have been more but for a truly remarkable bit of skill in the final minute of stoppage time from Woodgate. Skipper Ellie Perkins launched what can only be described as a “hail-Mary” high into the box and before, it hit the deck, Woodgate stepped past two different defenders and as the ball ran to Turner at a very tight angle, the chance had gone.

CHATHAM TOWN WOMEN – Thorn-Ford, O’Shea, Perkins, Weillington, Jones, Auguste, Jeffkins, Keogh (Russ), Amelia Woodgate, Turner, Sharp (Iton)

Subs – Coombs, Saleen, Thompson, Wiffen, Maddison Woodgate

FARNHAM TOWN WOMEN – Kite, Doyle, D’Santos, Well, Whelan, Buckingham, Foss (Manley), Da Costa Monteiro, Price, Ring (Kinnane), Khassal

Subs – Bishop, Hincks, Snow-Gooding, De Bunsen

REFEREE – Mr Jackson

Images courtesy of Farnham Town Women