The FA Women’s Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Qualifying
1.30pm, Sunday 26 October 2008
Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets
Winning clubs will receive £200 from The FA
Sabrina Samuel's first-half double took Tower Hamlets through to the First Round Proper at a damp Victoria Park yesterday. But "The Cows" had to battle bravely to hold on to a 2-1 lead as Panthers threw everything at them in the last 15 minutes.Steph Shaw again caught the eye in the Panthers attack, as she had done in the previous round at Hurlingham Park. She almost turned in a low right-wing cross in the first minute and then floated in a shot from out on the left that beat Hamlets 'keeper Kristin Taylor but dropped a foot the wrong side of the far post.
But for the most part Hamlets were rock solid at the back, with the central pairing of skipper Clare Malloch and Krystal Anderson quick to snuff out any danger. Their tackling and distribution continued to be first class as Hamlets started to put together some good attacking moves themselves.
On 25 minutes the home side went ahead, Samuel side-stepping two challenges on the edge of the box and composing herself admirably before aiming a firm shot past Andressa Silva's left hand. With Ashley Fletcher proving to be as much of a handful as Shaw with some jinking runs down the left, Panthers piled forward in search of a leveller before the break.
A goal did arrive in the last few seconds of the half, but it was another one for Hamlets. Susie Hill's corner from the right could hardly have been better placed, Samuel meeting the ball at the near post with a powerful downward header that flew into the net despite the presence of defenders on the line.
Panthers turned up the pressure in the second half, attacking with increasing desperation, but the home defence remained unbreached until the 75th minute.
Taylor had just made a spectacular double-save to deny a Shaw volley from close range. She palmed the ball onto the underside of the bar and then scooped it away as it bounced perilously close to the line.
Moments later substitute Eloise Young's punt from all of 35 yards had the woolly-hatted 'keeper in all sorts of difficulties. It looked as though she would push the ball over, but she finger-tipped it against the bar and somewhat improbably it ended up in the net.
At just 2-1 down Panthers' tails were up now and they had several chances to equalise in a frantic final period. Their best, on 87 minutes, fell to Fletcher after the ball had been knocked down to her following a corner. She skied it from the edge of the six-yard box and it will be Katy Arnold's Tower Hamlets side who take their place in today's First Round Proper draw at Soho Square.
