SAM SEALS SHOOT-OUT WIN FOR ADDICKS
Charlton Athletic 0
Sheffield FC 0
(AET: Charlton won 4-2 on penalties)
FA Women’s Premier League Cup final
James Parnell Stadium, Nuneaton
Sunday 3 May 2015
Sam Pittuck struck the victory-clinching penalty as Charlton Athletic beat defending champions Sheffield FC in a shoot-out following their goalless draw after extra time of a closely fought Premier League Cup final.
Pittuck held her nerve on her team’s fifth and final spot-kick to seal the 4-2 shoot-out win after goalkeeper Megen Lynch had saved two Sheffield penalties before missing with her own effort.
The win meant that Charlton lifted the Cup for the third time, though on the previous two occasions - 2003-04 and 2005-06 - the Premier League was the top flight ahead of the 2010 formation of the Women’s Super League.
The drama at the end of the final, played at Nuneaton FC’s James Parnell Stadium, was matched by the thunderstorm that had delayed the start of the match by 50 minutes.
When the game eventually got underway the Addicks had the better of the first half, twice going close to scoring as first Emma Harrison forced Sheffield goalkeeper Claire Wallhead into a fine save and then Charley Clifford striking a free-kick against the crossbar just before the interval.
Sheffield improved after the break and almost found the net when a slip by Grace Coombs let in Lisa Giampalma, but the Sheffield striker poked her shot just over the bar.
They went close again as extra time approached, an Emma Johnson shot forcing Lynch to tip round the post. And in extra time Pittuck had to come to the Addicks' rescue when she cleared off the line from Coombs.
Come the shoot-out, however, and Charlton took control as each of their first three penalties found the net while Lynch kept out two of Sheffield’s first three.
But Lynch then failed with her own spot-kick, and when Lynn Goodman scored for Sheffield it left the scoreline 3-2 in the Addicks’ favour but requiring a successful shot to claim victory before the shoot-out went to sudden death. And successful Pittock was, firing the ball home to spark wild celebrations in the Charlton camp.
Sheffield had been denied a second successive Premier League Cup triumph, but they were to earn themselves a very satisfying consolation as they ended the season with the Northern Division title and - via a Play-Off win against Southern Division Champions Portsmouth - promotion to WSL 2.
Sheffield FC: Wallhead, Murphy, Cox, Ashton, Goodman, Lee, Parkin (Michalska 50), Ward (c) (Beanland 96), Johnson, Giampalma, McIver (Gilliat 74).
Substitutes not used: Fuller, Horsley.
Charlton Athletic: Lynch, Flack, Dixson, Paye (Southgate 106), Coombs, Clifford, Pittuck, Shepherd, Whinnet (Howlett 95), Graham, Harrison.
Substitutes not used: Simmons, Newman, Hardaker.
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE PLATE 2014-15
As part of the 2014 expansion of the FA WPL, the newly appointed independent management committee instituted a League Plate competition to complement the competition’s long established League Cup.
The first winners of the Plate were Preston North End, whose 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the final meant they had gone through all five rounds of the competition without conceding a single goal.
Late goals in each half earned them the trophy. Yasmine Swarbrick shot them in front just before the interval, then in the last few minutes of normal time Keeleigh Walker doubled the lead before a stoppage time strike by Chelsea Flanagan ensured the Plate was heading for Lancashire rather than Yorkshire.
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE CUP RESULTS 2014-15
Determining Round (beaten teams went into the Plate competition)
31/08/2014
Bradford City 2-1 Solihull
Brighton & Hove Albion H/W Norwich City
Cambridge Women 3-1 Cheltenham Town
Charlton Athletic 5-2 Swindon Town
Chichester City 1-1 Queens Park Rangers AET (QPR won 4-2 on penalties)
Chorley 2-3 FC Reedswood
Copeswood 2-4 Portsmouth
Denham United 7-1 Gosport Borough
Derby County 1-0 Chester Le Street
Forest Green Rovers 3-0 Crystal Palace
Gillingham 15-0 Ebbsfleet United
Guiseley AFC Vixens 4-1 Sheffield United
Ipswich Town 5-0 Exeter City
Keynsham Town 3-1 West Ham United
Larkhall Athletic H/W Keynsham Town Dev
Leicester City Ladies 0-1 (aet) Nottingham Forest
Liverpool Marshalls Feds 1-7 Coventry City
Loughborough Foxes 0-4 Leicester City Women
Luton Town 0-0 Milton Keynes Dons (aet, Luton won 3-2 on penalties)
Middlesbrough 2-3(aet) Mansfield Town
Mossley Hill 2-1 Preston North End
Newcastle United 3-1 Huddersfield Town
Norton & Stockton Ancients 4-1 Leafield Athletic
Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Bedford
Rotherham United 1-5 Sheffield FC
Shanklin 0-4 C&K Basildon
Southampton Saints 1-5 Lewes
Sporting Club Albion 7-0 Loughborough Students
St.Nicholas 0-6 Cardiff City LFC
Steel City Wanderers 4-1 Curzon Ashton
Stockport County 2-0 Morecambe (abandoned on 55 mins due to injury)
Stoke City 0-4 Blackburn Rovers
Tottenham Hotspur 7-0 Enfield Town
Tranmere Rovers 3-2 Leeds
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1(aet) Radcliffe Olympic
First round
12/10/2014
Derby County 0-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Forest Green Rovers 0-7 Blackburn Rovers
Gillingham 0-2 Coventry City
Guiseley AFC Vixens 0-9 Cardiff City LFC
Keynsham Town H/W Steel City Wanderers
Lewes 3-0 FC Reedswood
Mansfield Town 2-3 Ipswich Town
Mossley Hill 3-2(aet) Wolverhampton Wanderers
Newcastle United 2-1 Morecambe
Norton & Stockton Ancients 0-7 Charlton Athletic
Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leicester City Women
Plymouth Argyle 5-0 Luton Town
Portsmouth 7-1 Larkhall Athletic
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 C&K Basildon (aet, Basildon won 9-8 on pens)
Sheffield FC 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Sporting Club Albion 1-0 Bradford City
Second round
30/11/2014
C&K Basildon 2-0 Sporting Club Albion
Ipswich Town 0-9 Cardiff City LFC
Keynsham Town 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Lewes 3-6 Coventry City
Newcastle United 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (AET)
Plymouth Argyle 1-7 Charlton Athletic
Portsmouth 6-1 Mossley Hill
Sheffield FC 4-0 Blackburn Rovers
Quarter-finals
1/3/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-2 Charlton Athletic
Cardiff City 4-3 Coventry City (AET)
Sheffield FC 5-0 C&K Basildon
Nottingham Forest 2-3 Portsmouth
Semi-finals
15/3/2015
Charlton Athletic 2-0 Cardiff City
Portsmouth 0-2 Sheffield
Final
3/5/2015
Charlton Athletic 0-0 Sheffield FC
(AET: Charlton won 4-2 on penalties)
