‘RUTHLESS’ CARLY SPOT-ON TO CLINCH VILLA’S FIRST MAJOR TROPHY
Aston Villa 0
Leeds United 0 (AET: Villa won 5-4 on penalties)
FA Women’s Premier League Cup final
Bootham Crescent, York
5 May 2013
It took penalty shoot-outs in both the quarter-final and final to do it; but when striker Carly Davies netted the victory clinching spot-kick to defeat Leeds United in 2013’s FA Women’s Premier League Cup final, Aston Villa were able to lift the first major trophy in the women’s team’s then 40-year history.
Formed as Solihull Ladies FC in 1973, the team morphed into Aston Villa Aztecs when first linked with Villa in 1989 and then became Aston Villa Ladies when a more formal tie-up with the men’s Premier League club was established in 1996.
Finally taken completely under the Aston Villa FC wing in 2006, the women’s team began an upward curve that included winning promotion to the Premier League’s top flight in 2010-11 and then the League Cup in what was their last FA WPL season before stepping up to FA WSL2.
Joe Hunt, Villa FC’s Football Development Manager during this period, oversaw the women’s section from 2006 and was responsible for the girls’ Centre of Excellence before additionally taking over as manager of the women’s first team ahead of the 2012-13 campaign.
Recalling that season and the run to League Cup glory, Hunt says: “We had a really strong crop of youngsters coming through the Centre of Excellence, players like Aoife Mannion, Beth Merrick and Katy Moran; so I brought them into the squad to play alongside older girls like Dani Petrovic, Erin Vaughan and Carly Davies. It was a season of transition - but a very good season for us.
“Winning the League Cup was great for the girls and the club, and for me too - I’m a Villa fan born and bred so it was a very proud moment when (captain) Dani lifted the trophy.
“We’d had to do it the hard way, because we had to beat very good teams like Blackburn Rovers in the quarter final and (after winning the semi 2-1 against Portsmouth) Leeds in the final.
“The Blackburn game was at their place and there was quite a hostile atmosphere we had to deal with, but the girls responded well and deserved to take the game to penalties. Shoot-outs are never nice, but fair play to the girls, our penalties were really good that day.
“I can still remember a brilliant one by Carly, who stuck her shot right into the top corner. She was ruthless from the spot, so although when it came to the final she started on the subs’ bench I had to bring her on when it looked like the game was going to penalties.”
Davies was sent on towards half-time of extra time and came up trumps again. With the shoot-out going to sudden death, Villa keeper Megan Walsh saved from United’s Clare Sykes to leave Davies with the chance to win the final - and, proving that she was nerveless as well as ruthless, she smashed the ball home to spark wild celebrations among the Villa players and fans.
Hunt recalls: “It was a fantastic end to the match. Leeds had gone in as favourites and with the game being played up their way at York City, most of the spectators were Leeds fans.
“But our girls handled the situation well, and when it came to penalties our experience of the quarter-final shoot-out was a massive help in terms of confidence and holding their nerve.”
Davies, who 12 years later was to manage Nottingham Forest to an FA Women’s National League Cup triumph and promotion to WSL2, tweeted after the final: “We’re absolutely over-the-moon for both the team and the club. Bringing some silverware home is a dream-come-true.”
And from skipper Petrovic came the tweet: “It’s an amazing feeling to win it but to win with this team feels extra special. We’re a tight bunch and we epitomise TEAM!”
That ‘TEAM’ ethic was taken into WSL2 and Hunt - who remained as manager until 2017 - says: “From 2006 we’d been growing the female side of the club. Our (girls) Centre of Excellence was one of the top three in the country and the FA appreciated the work we were doing on and off the pitch. So it was an exciting time for us - and what a way to finish our time in the Premier League!”
Aston Villa: Walsh; Vaughan, Petrovic, Richards, Mannion; Moran (McCue 55), Merritt, Cusack (Davies 100); Follis (Fergusson 75), Jones, Clarke.
Leeds United: Draycott; Lipman, Sharp, A. Lee (Bass 46),Emmonds; Sheen, R. Lee, Sykes, Rich (Thackray 81); Staneff (Coates 120), Huegett.
RESULTS
2/9/2012
Premier League Cup Group 1
Cardiff City 0-0 Yeovil Town
Portsmouth 1-2 Reading
Premier League Cup Group 2
Gillingham 1-4 Charlton Athletic
Lewes 2-1 Millwall Lionesses
Premier League Cup Group 3
Derby County 0-4 Aston Villa
West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Coventry United
Premier League Cup Group 4
Blackburn Rovers 6-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City 2-0 Preston North End
Premier League Cup Group 5
Barnet 6-0 Colchester United
Premier League Cup Group 6
Leeds 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Sunderland 4-1 Sheffield
3/9/2012
Premier League Cup Group 5
West Ham United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
23/9/2012
Premier League Cup Group 1
Queens Park Rangers Ladies 1-2 Portsmouth
Reading 2-3 Cardiff City
Premier League Cup Group 2
Brighton & Hove Albion 5-2 Lewes
Gillingham 2-3 Millwall Lionesses
Premier League Cup Group 3
Coventry United 3-0 Leicester City
Derby County 7-5 West Bromwich Albion
Premier League Cup Group 4
Preston North End 0-5 Blackburn Rovers
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-4 Manchester City
Premier League Cup Group 5
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Barnet
Watford 3-3 West Ham United
Premier League Cup Group 6
Newcastle United 1-3 Nottingham Forest
Sheffield 1-8 Leeds
14/10/2012
Premier League Cup Group 1
Cardiff City 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Yeovil Town 2-1 Reading
Premier League Cup Group 2
Charlton Athletic 5-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Lewes 2-4 Gillingham
Premier League Cup Group 3
Aston Villa 1-3 Coventry United
West Bromwich Albion 5-1 Leicester City
Premier League Cup Group 4
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Manchester City
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 Preston North End
Premier League Cup Group 5
Watford 5-0 Colchester United
West Ham United 0-3 Barnet
Premier League Cup Group 6
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Sheffield
Sunderland 3-1 Newcastle United
4/11/2012
Premier League Cup Group 1
Cardiff City 3-2 Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Yeovil Town
Premier League Cup Group 2
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 Gillingham
Premier League Cup Group 3
Coventry United 2-0 Derby County
Leicester City 0-3 Aston Villa
Premier League Cup Group 6
Leeds 2-2 Sunderland
Sheffield 6-1 Newcastle United
11/11/2012
Premier League Cup Group 5
Colchester United 2-2 West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Watford
18/11/2012
Premier League Cup Group 2
Millwall Lionesses 1-3 Charlton Athletic
25/11/2012
Premier League Cup Group 2
Millwall Lionesses 0-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Premier League Cup Group 5
Barnet 0-1 Watford
9/12/2012
Premier League Cup Group 1
Portsmouth 3-2 Yeovil Town
Reading 1-1 Queens Park Rangers
Premier League Cup Group 2
Charlton Athletic 0-5 Lewes
Premier League Cup Group 3
Aston Villa 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
Leicester City 4-3 Derby County
Premier League Cup Group 5
Colchester United V-V Tottenham Hotspur (Void)
Premier League Cup Group 6
Newcastle United 0-1 Leeds
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Sunderland
Knockout Stages
13/1/2013
Last 16
Barnet FC Ladies 2-1 Lewes (AET)
Sunderland 7-2 Sheffield
Yeovil Town 0-1 Leeds
27/1/2013
Cardiff City 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Watford 0-1 Charlton Athletic (AET)
10/2/2013
Quarter-finals
Leeds 3-2 Charlton Athletic
Sunderland 2-0 Cardiff City
21/2/2013
Last 16
Coventry United 0-3 Aston Villa
24/2/2013
Last 16
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Blackburn Rovers
3/3/2013
Last 16
Portsmouth 2-1 Manchester City
24/3/2013
Quarter-finals
Portsmouth 2-1 Barnet
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Aston Villa (AET: Villa won 6-5 on penalties)
7/4/2013
Semi-finals
Sunderland 1-4 Leeds
14/4/2013
Aston Villa 2-1 Portsmouth
Final, Bootham Crescent (York)
5/5/2013
Leeds 0-0 Aston Villa (AET: Villa won 5-4 on penalties)
