FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE CUP WIN SETS ROVERS ON ROAD TO DOUBLE
Blackburn Rovers 3
(Shepherd 33 (p), Cook 74, Jordan 90)
Leicester City 1
(Domingo 14)
FA Women’s Premier League Cup final
Proact Stadium, Chesterfield
29 April 2018
Blackburn came from behind to win the Premier League Cup for the first time in the club’s history, victory setting them up for a League and Cup double.
As a fine season for Gemma Donnelly’s team neared its conclusion, they had to recover from a slow start at Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium and went behind to a Sophie Domingo goal.
But it was all square at half-time after captain Lynda Shepherd had scored from the spot; and second half goals by Ellie Cook and Saffron Jordan clinched victory.
It was the Foxes who had been on top in the early stages of the game, going ahead in the 14th minute as striker Domingo’s shot went in off the post.
Rovers hit back quickly and went agonisingly close to equalising when an Alex Taylor effort smacked against the Leicester crossbar.
The equaliser arrived in the 33rd minute, Shepherd converting her spot-kick after striker Jordan had been fouled in the area.
From that point Rovers had the better of the game, though it wasn’t until the 74th minute that they took the lead when Cook headed into the net from a Jess Holbrook corner.
But a deserved victory was assured in the final minute as Jordan cleverly turned just inside the penalty area to fire home.
After their Cup success Rovers were to double up by winning the Premier League Northern Division; but they then missed out on promotion to the FA Women’s Championship as they went down to Southern Division winners Charlton Athletic in the Play-Off match.
Blackburn Rovers: Hill, Pearson, Jukes, McDonald, Fenton, Shepherd, Holbrook, Cunliffe (Walsh 68), Jordan, Taylor.
Leicester City: Clarke, Acton (Brown 79), Axton, Domingo, Dugmore, Greengrass, James, Johnson (Crossman 79), Morgan, Nymoen (May 58), Stewart.
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE PLATE 2017-18
West Ham United cruised to a 5-0 victory over Luton Town to claim the 2017-18 FAWPL Plate in a one-sided final played at Hednesford Town’s Keys Park stadium.
The Hammers struck twice in a four-minute spell midway through the first half to put themselves in control, Amber Stobbs and Kelly Weathall the players on target.
Ellie Zoepfl added to the score in the early stages of the second half and then, after Rosie Kimita had hit the fourth goal, the scoring was completed by Zoepfl 17 minutes from time.
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE CUP RESULTS 2017-18
Determining round
The competition opened with a Determining Round, which consisted of 70 teams in the FA Women's Premier League being drawn in pairs, with Plymouth Argyle being given a bye.
The winners of these 35 games and Plymouth Argyle progressed to the next stage of the competition, while the losers qualified for the 2017–18 FA Women's Premier League Plate.
3/9/2017
Blackburn Rovers 3–0 Barnsley
Bradford City 3–3 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) Fylde
C & K Basildon 8–0 Basingstoke Town
Cheltenham Town 1–2 Actonians
Chester Le Street 3–2 Hull City
Chichester City 4–1 West Ham United
Chorley 1–5 Leicester City
Coventry United 16–1 Haringey Borough
Crystal Palace 10–1 Brislington
Derby County 7–0 Rotherham United
Enfield Town 3–2 Keynsham Town
Gillingham 0–1 Stevenage (SE1) Chatham
Larkhall Athletic 1–8 Ipswich Town
Leicester City Ladies 0–5 Bolton Wanderers
Lewes 3–1 (a.e.t.) Southampton Saints
Long Eaton United 1–2 (a.e.t.) West Bromwich Albion
Loughborough Foxes 5–0 Sporting Khalsa
Luton Town 2–4 Leyton Orient
Maidenhead United 0–1 (a.e.t.) Poole Town
Middlesbrough 5–0 Burton Albion
Milton Keynes Dons 0–1 AFC Wimbledon
Morecambe 1–3 Stoke City
Mossley Hill 0–1 Brighouse Town
Newcastle United 0–3 Huddersfield Town
Norwich City 0–5 Cardiff City
Queens Park Rangers 0–3 Portsmouth
Sheffield United 6–0 Birmingham & West Midlands
Solihull 1–2 (a.e.t.) Guiseley Vixens
Southampton Women's 4–2 Denham United
St Nicholas 0–5 Cambridge United
Steel City Wanderers 5–2 (a.e.t.) Radcliffe Olympic
Swindon Town 0–11 Charlton Athletic
The New Saints 3–3 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) Crewe Alexandra
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–2 Liverpool Marshalls Feds
Nottingham Forest 7–1 Leeds United
Preliminary round
With 36 teams having progressed from the determining round, four needed to be eliminated to allow a single-elimination knockout tournament to take place. Twenty eight of the winners from the determining round were given byes to the first round, with eight teams being drawn against each other in preliminary round ties.
24/9/2017
Liverpool Marshalls Feds 3–1 Steel City Wanderers
Poole Town 0–8 Crystal Palace
Southampton Women's 2–0 (a.e.t.) Actonians
The New Saints 2–5 Leicester City
First round
15/10/2017
Charlton Athletic 3–2 AFC Wimbledon
Crystal Palace 1–2 Lewes
Enfield Town 0–2 Cambridge United
Sheffield United 1–2 Liverpool Marshalls Feds
Southampton Women's 1–3 Portsmouth
Stoke City 2–2 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p) Blackburn Rovers
Nottingham Forest 5–0 West Bromwich Albion
22/10/2017
Derby County 5–2 (a.e.t.) Bradford City
Ipswich Town A–W C & K Basildon
Loughborough Foxes 2–0 Middlesbrough
Stevenage 0–2 Coventry United
29/10/2017
Brighouse Town 5–1 Chester Le Street
Cardiff City 3–1 Leyton Orient
Guiseley Vixens 3–2 Huddersfield Town
Leicester City 3–0 Bolton Wanderers
Plymouth Argyle 3–1 Chichester City
Second round
17/12/2017
Cardiff City 1–2 Plymouth Argyle
Leicester City 3–1 Loughborough Foxes
14/1/2018
C & K Basildon 1–2 (a.e.t.) Charlton Athletic
Lewes 5–1 Portsmouth
Liverpool Marshalls Feds 1–2 Blackburn Rovers
Nottingham Forest 5–0 Guiseley Vixens
28/1/2018
Brighouse Town 3–2 Derby County
Cambridge United 0–5 Coventry United
Quarter-finals
11/2/2018
Charlton Athletic 1–2 (a.e.t.) Lewes
18/2/2018
Brighouse Town 1–2 Blackburn Rovers
25/2/2018
Nottingham Forest 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) Leicester City
Plymouth Argyle 0–3 Coventry United
Semi-finals
11/3/2018
Leicester City 4–2 Lewes
25/3/2018
Blackburn Rovers 2–2 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) Coventry United
Final
29/4/2018
Blackburn Rovers 3–1 Leicester City
