Fleet Town FC Women beat Badshot Lea FC Ladies in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup

On Sunday 22nd September, 150+ supporters from the Fleet and Farnham areas gathered at Fleet Town FC’s Easy As HGV Stadium for our Adobe Women’s FA Cup second round qualifier.

As our women’s first team led their young mascots – players from the Club’s youth teams – onto the pitch, there was palpable excitement in the crowd for the competition ahead. Fleet Town had beaten their first round opponents 4-0 – could they do it again against Badshot Lea FC Ladies, a team playing in the division above?

From the first whistle, it was evident that both teams were determined, however a massive Fleet throw-in in the first minute by Mia Corrigall gave an opportunity for striker Elin Roberts to push into the box, taking Badshot Lea’s defenders and goalkeeper, Ellie James, by surprise and landing the ball in the back of the net.

Another chance swiftly followed. The ball was heading towards the Badshot goalkeeper, with two defenders on its heels. But a stunning solo run down the centre from Elin Roberts made light work of both defenders, passing them and picking up the ball directly in front of James, chipping it towards the net. James got her hands to it but couldn’t keep hold and it flicked over her shoulder for a second Fleet Town goal in just the sixth minute.

Badshot Lea immediately responded with a good chance but didn’t manage to get the shot on target. And despite more action in our half over the next 10 minutes, Fleet managed to maintain possession with some excellent passing through defence and midfield.

Then some tidy work on the right wing by midfielder Lily Martin and defender Olivia Cervino in the face of five of the opposition created a sudden gap for Roberts, who fought off the Badshot Lea defender once again using her speed and control to take the ball into the box. Thwarted twice by the goalkeeper, she passed to Amy Granger who was able to capitalise on the distraction and nestle the ball into the bottom corner, scoring the third goal of the match in the 14th minute.

Unfortunately, a few minutes later there was a tense time while Badshot Lea goalkeeper Ellie James was down, following a collision with their defender who had been chasing another break created by some skillful moves in midfield from India Mackie and a pass forwards to Isabella O’Connor.

Badshot Lea had a fantastic chance minutes after the game got back underway, with their number 12 fighting off Captain Dominique Lewis to hit a strong shot at goal, allowing Fleet Town goalie Chloe Harper to show her own strength, blocking and holding onto the ball.

Mostly maintaining possession again, the fourth Fleet goal came from an excellent series of passes, making good use of the wingers and skillful game management from Gina Saltykova in midfield, before a high lob from Lily Martin from the right skimmed over Badshot Lea’s defence and goalkeeper, sailing straight into the net.

A Badshot Lea free kick around the 30th minute created some danger, however a clash between defender and striker on the edge of the Fleet box led to a free kick for us, rather than a goal for the opposition.

Over the next 15 minutes or so, Fleet was mostly able to keep the upper hand in the game, playing out from the back in a controlled fashion, using their speed and skill at both ends of the pitch, and giving keeper James plenty of opportunity to use her proactive goalkeeping technique  and outfield experience to fend off approaches on goal by the Fleet forwards.

However, Fleet managed to slip in a fifth goal just before half time. This one was a real team effort, from the initial forward kick by goalkeeper Chloe Harper, to Lily Martin, to India Mackie, picked up by Elin Roberts and then over to Amy Granger for a great finish.

Coming out again after half time, Badshot Lea was clearly up for the battle. In the first five minutes, the team fended off two chances on goal by Fleet and then converted an excellent through pass from midfield to their striker Dot Usher, who bested our defence for a great finish.

Hungry to close the gap further, they again answered the call just minutes later with another break, allowing Usher to show her skill at finding the right space in the box that resulted in a second goal for Badshot Lea.

With the gap closing, Fleet picked up their game, responding with a lovely goal from Lily Martin from a well timed pass by Amy Granger.

The last 30 minutes of the game saw a deluge of rain, making conditions more challenging for both sides. Fleet substituted Keira Simpson for Elin Roberts.

A free kick created an opportunity for Badshot Lea but it was played safely into Chloe Harper’s hands. Then another free kick was given for the opposition after a Fleet challenge, which created a decent chance for them. This was quickly followed by a third free kick from the centre line, taken by a Badshot Lea defender, which was saved with a fantastic dive by Harper.

Some great defensive work by Sophia Hayman and a streak up the left wing by Gina Saltykova led to a brilliant run into the centre from India Mackie, who saw her chance and scored an absolute screamer from well outside the box in the 87th minute.

Two more substitutions brought on Mahiya Sandeep and Amelia Robinson to freshen up the game, and a late Badshot Lea break was defended well by Mia Corrigal. Fleet then managed to get in one final goal in the last minutes of the match.

Goalkeeper Chloe Harper sent a long kick towards Lily Martin, who lobbed the ball over the heads of the defense towards Amelia Robinson on the right wing. Robinson then took the ball up the field and shot a sideways pass into Keira Simpson who positioned herself for the last goal of the match, a shot that Ellie James would have been hard pressed to save.

After an exciting second half, the score was 8-2 at the final whistle. Badshot Lea gave us quite the match, keeping the pressure up on the Fleet defence and midfield. But in the end Fleet’s exceptional teamwork, skillful game management, confident passing and finishing capabilities helped to extend their lead.

We look forward to competing in the last of the qualifying rounds on Sunday 13th October.