Kelly Smith signs off with a hat-trick in the WPL Cup Final.
Arsenal 5-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
FA Tesco Women's Premier League Cup
The Final
Glanford Park, Scunthorpe United FC
7pm, Thursday 26 February 2009
Live on Setanta
Arsenal's 5-0 defeat of Doncaster Rovers Belles in The FA Tesco Women's Premier League Cup Final was Kelly Smith's last game for the club.
Her hat-trick left the Gunners with a pleasant reminder of the goals and the talent they have had at their disposal for the last four years.
Smith will join Boston Breakers next week along with Alex Scott, who was also on the scoresheet in The Final, and Smith admits her three-goal haul was a great way to say goodbye.
"I'm really happy," she beamed.
"To get three goals in my last game was unexpected but it was a really nice way to end things.
"I'm more pleased with our performance, particularly in the second half.
"I'm delighted for the team, because it is the first trophy up for grabs and after we lost last season's Final to Everton, we really wanted to add this Cup to our trophy cabinet."
After the match Smith was inundated with good luck messages from the well-wishers at Glanford Park, and she thanked those that had stayed behind to ask for her autograph. It was clear she wanted to enjoy her final few moments in an Arsenal shirt.
"I tried not to think of it as my last game, I just wanted to focus on playing well," she said.
"But when I got substituted, I gave Vic (Akers, the Arsenal manager) a hug and that's when it hit me.
"I realised how much the last four years had meant to me and what a joy it's been to represent Arsenal.
"It'll good to have a familiar face at Boston and it's going to be tough, moving to a new country, but I've done it before and I know I can do it again."
The Teams
Arsenal
1 Emma Byrne, 2 Alex Scott, 4 Jayne Ludlow (C), 7 Ciara Grant, 8 Kelly Smith (26 Lauren Bruton, 88), 11 Rachel Yankey, 12 Gemma Davison (9 Susanne Grant, 77), 15 Laura Bassett, (5 Gilly Flaherty, 81), 16 Kim Little, 17 Katie Chapman, 19 Niamh Fahey
Goals
Smith 5,32,58, Scott 67, Grant 89
Subs not used 18 Natalie Ross, 24 Sarah Quantrill
Doncaster Rovers Belles
1 Nicola Hobbs, 2 Chelsea Weston, 3 Vanessa Leat, 4 Rachel Williams, 5 Claire Utley, 6 Amy Turner, 7 Emily Heckler, 8 Vicky Exley (C), 10 Vikki Stevens (15 Natalie Shaw, 77), 12 Natasha Hughes, 14 Emma Johnson (16 Naomi Chadwick, 88)
Subs not used 9 Suzanne Davies, 13 Claire Farrow, 17 Sarah Owen
Referee Steve Rowntree
