BEES KEEP BUZZING TO WIN LEAGUE CUP SHOOT-OUT
Barnet 0
Nottingham Forest 0 (AET: Barnet won 4-3 on penalties)
FA Women’s Premier League Cup final
Adams Park, Wycombe
24 March 2011
The self-titled ‘Barnet Running Club’ triumphed in a penalty shoot-out to lift the FA Women’s Premier League Cup in an historic season for the competition.
In what was the first time it was contested following the 2010 formation of the Women’s Super League – whose teams had their own knock-out Cup – the Bees’ stamina kept them going despite being down to 10 players for almost an hour following Stacey Sowden’s 67th minute sending-off.
After the game had ended goalless following extra time, Tracey Kevins’ team then proved sharper than opponents Nottingham Forest with their spot-kicks to win the shoot-out 4-3.
Manager Kevins said: "The players are not surprised to win, it's just how they've done it.
“Going down to 10 players and then through extra time and on penalties, I knew it was going to be an uphill battle, but I also knew my players were fitter.
"Barnet Running Club' the players call themselves because of the training we do. I knew it would go to penalties, and so we had studied and prepared for it.
"This is the club's day in the sunshine. It is a huge boost for the club as a whole, both men's and women's, and a huge thank you for the great support they give us."
Sowden was maybe more grateful than anyone for Barnet’s day in the sunshine after putting her team’s hopes in jeopardy with her sending-off for kicking at Carla Tompkins.
Frustration was perhaps the root cause of the striker’s action after she had failed on several occasions to score what would have been her 200th goal for the Bees.
Forest’s Natalie Clark was also culpable, missing the best chance of the game when her eight-yard shot a minute before half-time was saved by Barnet goalkeeper Cherie Rowlands.
Rachael Murray was unlucky not to give Forest the lead seven minutes after the break, the midfielder firing a long-range effort off the underside of the bar.
Forest looked stronger as the game progressed but, despite a stream of corners and high balls into the box, they could not find the vital final touch.
And so, after the goalless extra time, it fell to Barnet goalkeeper Rowlands to show that the effort spent studying notes on players' penalty preferences and run-ups was not time wasted.
She made good stops from Clarke and Catherine Lawson, while Barnet captain Dani Murphy sent her spot kick over the bar before Sally Wade netted the winner to spark the Bees' celebrations.
Disappointed Forest manager Danny Johnson said: "Each coach has different ideas and I don't think you can replicate the pressure of a penalty shoot-out.
"We moved the ball better in the second half, but we didn't make the chances we wanted to and it just wasn't meant to be.”
Barnet: Rowlands, Boardman, Dempster, Murphy, Pond, Prosser, Reidy, Rudman, Sowden, Trimnell, Wade.
Substitutes: E. Davies, Keown, Lance, O’Leary, Smith.
Nottingham Forest: Wallhead, Bailey, Staneff, Stainthorpe, Tompkins, Gilliatt, Connor-Iommi, Lawson, Murray, Bell, Clark,
Substitutes: Earps, Witham, Wadell, Howard, S. Davies
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE CUP 2010-11 RESULTS
First round
29/8/2010
Group 1
Barnet 4-0 Colchester United
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 West Ham United
Group 2
Preston North End 1-2 Curzon Ashton
Rochdale 0-4 Blackburn Rovers
Group 3
Cardiff City 2-0 Watford
Coventry City 1-1 Aston Villa
Group 4
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Charlton Athletic
Gillingham 2-2 Millwall Lionesses
Group 5
Manchester City 1-3 Leicester City
Nottingham Forest 4-1 Derby County
Group 6
Portsmouth 4-2 Keynsham Town
Yeovil Town 0-2 Reading
Group 7
Newcastle United 1-4 Leeds City Vixens
Sunderland 1-1 Leeds United
12/9/2010
Group 1
Colchester United 3-0 Queens Park Rangers
West Ham United 0-1 Barnet
Group 2
Blackburn Rovers 6-0 Preston North End
Rochdale 3-2 Curzon Ashton
Group 3
Watford 1-1 Coventry City
Group 4
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 Gillingham
Charlton Athletic 1-2 Millwall Lionesses
Group 5
Derby County 2-3 Manchester City
Leicester City 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Group 6
Keynsham Town 1-1 Yeovil Town
Reading 2-1 Portsmouth
Group 7
Leeds United 4-1 Newcastle United
Leeds City Vixens 0-3 Sunderland
3/10/2010
Group 1
Colchester United 1-3 West Ham United
10/10/2010
Group 2
Rochdale 1-2 Preston North End
Group 3
Watford 0-1 Aston Villa
Group 4
Charlton Athletic 1-2 Gillingham
Millwall Lionesses 3-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Group 5
Derby County 0-3 Leicester City
Manchester City 0-1 Nottingham Forest
Group 6
Yeovil Town 3-3 Portsmouth
Group 7
Leeds United 3-1 Leeds City Vixens
13/10/2010
Group 2
Blackburn Rovers 3-3 Curzon Ashton
Group 3
Cardiff City 2-3 Coventry City
Group 6
Reading 2-3 Keynsham Town
Group 7
Newcastle United 0-4 Sunderland
17/10/2010
Group 1
Queens Park Rangers 0-4 Barnet
The top two teams from each group, plus the best two third-placed teams, qualified for the Round of 16.
Round of 16
31/10/2010
Barnet 3-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Gillingham 0-5 Nottingham Forest
Curzon Ashton 0-4 Cardiff City
Leicester City 4-0 Blackburn Rovers
Millwall Lionesses 3-1 Coventry City
Portsmouth 5-4 Aston Villa
Sunderland 2-1 Leeds United
West Ham United 2-1 Reading
Quarter-finals
12/11/2010
Cardiff City 0-4 Barnet
23/1/2011
Millwall Lionesses 0-2 Nottingham Forest
Leicester City 2-1 West Ham United
30/1/2011
Portsmouth 2-1 Sunderland AET
Semi-finals
13/2/2011
Barnet 2-1 Portsmouth
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Leicester City
Final, Adams Park (Wycombe)
24/3/2011
Barnet 0-0 Nottingham Forest (AET: Barnet won 4-3 on penalties)
