'The best feeling I've ever had'

After scoring the dramatic late winner in The FA Women's Cup sponsored by E.ON Final, Everton forward Natasha Dowie said she hopes the subsequent feeling of jubilation stays with her for a long time.

With 118 minutes on the clock and with Everton and Arsenal locked at 2-2 at The City Ground it had appeared The Final was heading for a penalty shoot-out. But then substitute Brooke Chaplen threaded a ball into the Gunners box which Dowie clipped over Emma Byrne and into the back of the net to give Mo Marley's side a dramatic winner and put their name on The Cup for the first time since 1989, when the club were known as Leasowe Pacific.

"The ball broke through," said Dowie, reliving her moment of glory. "I saw Emma Byrne coming out of her goal and I thought I'd try and dink it over her and as soon as I knew it was going in, it was just the best feeling I've ever had.

"I jumped into the crowd, I don't even know if they were our fans [but] I knew it was going to be the last kick of the game so I knew it was going to be an important goal. It's just the best feeling ever. I want it to last."

Dowie's contribution was not simply restricted to that late winner though, as the 21-year-old had scored the game's opening goal on 16 minutes and was later named the Player of the Match for her all-round performance (for which she also received praise from her manager) but the forward prefers to deflect attention on to the whole club, after a decade of vast improvement.

"We had a really good feeling all week, said Dowie. "That's why I came to Everton because I believe we are the best team in the League. I just wanted the girls, the staff, everyone to prove that we could do it and I think we did that today.

"It didn't go all our way. [Arsenal] were on top for most of the second half and maybe extra-time but we defended brilliantly, from front to back and we got the break and I'm just so happy that I could put the goal away and win us the game because we deserved it."

Such is Dowie's hunger for success that not only is she satisfied to have taken Arsenal's FA Women's Cup crown, she now wants to wrestle the League title from their grasp too.

"We won the League Cup [in 2008] but I came to this club because I believed we were good enough to be pushing Arsenal and to be the best team in women's football.

"We've had an up-and-down season this season, so to win The FA Cup, after losing to Leeds in the League Cup [Final] is a great feeling and we'll celebrate tonight, but then we are back on with the League. That's not over yet. We are looking to get the double this year and win the remainder of our games. Hopefully we can push Arsenal until the end."