Chatham Town Women are through to the Third Round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup with another away come from behind penalty shoot out victory over a National League South side.
Just as in the previous round at AFC Wimbledon where the Chats – who play in the league below the National South – came from behind to force a shoot-out courtesy of the sharp shooting from skipper Ellie Jeffkins and just as at Plough Lane in the previous round, keeper Simone Eligon saved two penalties after the Chats were perfect from twelve yards prompting wild scenes of celebrations amongst the squad and the handful of Chats fans in the crowd at the Devon FA’s headquarters in Newton Abbott.
The home side started the brighter in a tense first half and took an early lead when a corner wasn’t cleared convincingly and Phoebe Baker returned the ball with interest firing into the bottom corner.
The Chats were on the back foot and Maddie Durrant could only head into the side netting as the home side looked to double their lead.
But as the half wore on, the visitors slowly got into their stride and only a very late assistant’s flag denied Jess King an equaliser after Jas Auguste’s sweet, clipped ball.
The handful of Chats fans at the game though didn’t have long to wait and it was skipper Jeffkins again who pulled her side level – home keeper Abbi Bond’s loose clearance fell to Jeffkins and she coolly lobbed over a stranded Exeter keeper to level the score.
Chances in an enjoyable half kept coming – Lottie Sharp’s angled ball missing by inches whilst Sophie Gillies drove just too high for the home side – and the tie was set for a fascinating second period and that’s what we got!
In true FA Cup tradition chances came and went at both ends – Sharp shot into the side netting; Eligon produced a really fine block to deny Georgia Vaccaro, before the Chats keeper pulled off an even better save to keep out Fearne Slocombe’s drive, but from the corner the home side had the lead back with a quarter of an hour left as Vaccaro powered home a header at the back post from the corner.
Immediately there was a change information and personnel for the Chats and how it paid dividends as with six minutes left Jeffkins drilled home a second that swerved all over the place deceiving the luckless Bond, and there were just four minutes left of the ninety!
With their tails well and truly up, the visitors went for the win inside “ninety minutes” – and the twelve minutes that the referee added on – and actually did get the ball in the net again only for the header to be ruled out; another poor clearance from Bond was hammered back by Jeffkins only this time, the Exeter keeper pulled off a smart scrambling save.
From Lucy Jones’s corner, the ball was headed home but the referee – Mr Gunraathna – saw something and disallowed the goal.
There was still time for Amelia Woodgate to be denied by a brave save by Bond whilst the home side almost won it at the death, but Isabel Zuurmond was wide.
The tie was decided on penalties and just as in the last round, the Chats were clinical with Jones, Jeffkins, Ciara Hynes and Woodgate all perfect from twelve yards.
Exeter scored their first, but after Eligon magnificently kept out their second, the home side were playing catch up and despite scoring with penalties three and four, when Eligon superbly turned aside City’s final kick, wild scenes of celebration erupted on the field and, in truth, made the long coach trip back to the Bauvill so much more enjoyable!
All eyes now on the velvet bag for the draw for Round Three on Monday evening (that is still regionalised North and South) where the WSL2 sides enter the competition…
EXETER CITY WOMEN – Bond, Poole (Ireland), Sandland, Jackson, Toogood (Slocombe), Burridge, Baker (Seaman), Zuumond, Durrant (Pollock), Stacey (Vaccaro), Gillies,
Sub – Giles
Chatham Town Women – Elgin, Auguste, Hynes, Perkins, Charles (Iton), Jeffkins, Sharp (Amelia Woodgate), O’Shea (Madison Woodgate), Jones, King (Russ), Wellington.
Subs – Sareen, Wright, Bavarik
REFEREE – Mr. Gunraathna.
Pictures supplied by Allen Hollands.