West Brom produce shock in FA WNL Cup quarter-final
West Bromwich Albion and AFC Bournemouth make it to the FA WNL Cup semi-finals as Cheadle Town Stingers and Halifax progress in Plate
West Bromwich Albion pulled off a shock victory in the Black Country derby to progress to the FA WNL Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Hannah George’s 51st-minute winner proved the difference between the local rivals at the SEAH Stadium, as they defeated a Wolves side that currently sit second in the Northern Premier Division.
It earns a place in the final four where they will face AFC Bournemouth who eased to a 3-0 victory in their quarter-final tie against Swindon Town.
In the FA WNL Plate, Cheadle Town Stingers and Halifax progressed to the semi-finals after victories over Durham Cestria and Chorley, respectively.
Cup action delivers
West Brom produced the result of the round after securing both bragging rights and a semi-final berth against Wolves away from home.
While neither side could find a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes it took just six minutes after the break for the Baggies to break the deadlock.
Taylor Reynolds played in her teammate with an inviting chipped pass, which George flicked past the onrushing Wolves keeper to open the scoring.
And West Brom, who entered the match after suffering FA Cup defeat to the WSL’s Everton, held on to secure an impressive victory against their local rivals.
But Swindon could pull off no such shocks against an AFC Bournemouth side who sit a division higher than them as they lost 3-0 at home to the Cherries.
Sophie Quirk got Bournemouth off the mark after eight minutes and while Swindon then held out until half-time, Kelci-Rose Bowers and Quirk added a further two after the break to secure their semi-final berth.
While it was the away sides who came out on top in the Cup, it was a different story in the Plate.
Cheadle Town Stingers triumphed 2-0 over Durham Cestria in their quarter-final as Imogen Porteous-Williams and Lily Weston bagged to ensure victory.
Halifax also enjoyed a comfortable 4-1 win over Chorley as a first-half brace from Meg Shaw was matched by Phoebe Hollins’ second-half double, ensuring Leah Embley’s late strike was not enough for the visitors.
It means Cheadle will now welcome Halifax for the Plate semi-final next weekend.
Moving to the top
The cup action meant that both the Northern Premier Division and Southern Premier Division saw new leaders.
Burnley defeated Sporting Khalsa 3-0 as Millie Ravening notched her 70th goal for the Clarets on her 100th start for the club, meaning they moved ahead of Wolves in the standings.
In the south, Watford and Plymouth Argyle both secured wins that moved them ahead of AFC Bournemouth, who now have two games in hand.
Watford beat AFC Wimbledon 4-0 at home to take the important three points while Plymouth Argyle enjoyed a 9-0 victory away at Billericay Town.
Elsewhere, Liverpool Feds moved three places higher in the Northern Premier Division with a 4-1 victory over Hull City as Rugby Borough won 2-0 against Loughborough Lightning.
Lewes staged a thrilling comeback against Real Bedford, who led 1-0 after 15 minutes through Lucy Wood.
But the Rooks equalised before half-time, setting up captain Maddie Brant to slot home the winner from the spot in stoppage time.
Rounding out the action in the Southern Premier Division, Hashtag United drew 0-0 with Gwalia United as Oxford United beat Cheltenham Town 2-0.
Aiming for safety
It was a big day for the prospects of clubs in the relegation scrap in Division One Midlands as all four of the bottom sides faced each other.
Northampton Town were the day’s biggest winners as their 1-0 home victory over bottom side Lincoln United moved them out of the relegation zone.
Kidderminster Harriers also won 1-0 against Stourbridge courtesy of Seanna McCann’s early strike to move them away from their opponents who now sit one point behind in the drop zone.
York City also took important steps to safety in Division One North as they moved four points clear of the relegation zone with 1-0 victory over Chester-Le-Street.
There were also victories in the Midlands for Notts County, who beat Sutton Coldfield Town 2-0, and Boldmere St. Michaels, who won 4-1 away at Worcester City, while Leafield Athletic took all three points from an eight-goal thriller.
They triumphed 5-3 away at Barnsley Women despite being reduced to 10 players as Gemma Fraser bagged a brace for the visitors.
In Division One North, Stockport County enjoyed a comfortable 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers while Leeds United versus Wythenshawe was postponed.
Stalling at the top
Both league leaders Fulham and second-placed Norwich City were held to draws in Division One South East, as neither capitalised on the other’s dropped points.
Fulham were held to a 2-2 draw by Dulwich Hamlet, as Ellie Olds headed in the equaliser after they had found themselves 2-1 down.
But their place at the top of the table remains as Norwich City were also held to a 1-1 draw away at Luton Town.
While the Canaries led through Faith Harrison in the 24th minute, a sumptuous free-kick from Shianne Swarres in the 87th-minute earned Luton a point.
In Division One South West, Bristol Rovers closed in on the top two, who were not in action, with an emphatic 10-0 victory over Worthing.
There were also goals galore in a seven-goal thriller as Keynsham Town won 4-3 against Bournemouth Sports, having trailed 2-1 at the break.
With scores tied after 90 minutes, Keynsham were awarded a penalty for handball in additional time which they converted to secure all three points.
Elsewhere Bridgwater United beat Maidenhead United 3-1, Ascot United triumphed 4-1 over Portishead Town and Abingdon United versus Moneyfields was postponed.
In Division One South East, Chatham Town beat London Bees 6-1, Cambridge United won 3-0 against AFC Sudbury, QPR were 5-0 victors at Chesham United and Actonians won 1-0 at MK Dons.