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Tuesday, January 8 Sendings off are pretty rare things in womens football. Generally more leeway is allowed for the odd mis-timed tackle and the ladies tend to help each other by not making a fuss if somebody kicks them. It came as a huge surprise, therefore, to see Chelsea losing two players to red cards in their FA Cup tie with Middlesbrough at the weekend. The fact that both players were sent packing before half time and were the England internationals Casey Stoney and Eni Aluko only added to the shock. That was where the shocks ended, however. 'Boro, of the Northern Combination, were still unable to last the pace set by a nine strong Chelsea and ended up losing 5-2 despite having led shortly after half time. The events of the first half, however, will live long in the memory. Chelsea went ahead almost from the kick off through Ellen White and a resounding home win seemed inevitable. Middlesbrough began to defend resolutely, however, and then stunned the home side by equalising. Nicki Duckling's burst into the box was ended by a Stoney foul and, after the England defender had been sent off, Duckling fired home the spot kick. There still seemed little reason to feel the underdogs would be able to cause a surprise but that changed shortly before half time when Aluko kicked out at an opponent and was also dismissed. It is fair to say that Aluko has failed to make the expected impression at Chelsea since her summer move from Charlton and her frustrations might have resulted from more than just the events of this game. When 'Boro then took the lead early in the second half through Abbey Lyle, set up by the lively Duckling, a sensation was definitely on the cards but Chelsea, even two players short, were able to take the game to their visitors and superior fitness as well as ability ensured that the Premier League side fought back to spare any possible blushes. Ellen White grabbed two more goals to put Chelsea back in front and complete her own hat trick before goals from Katie Owen and Dunia Susi confirmed victory. It is not often that top flight clubs fall to lower league opposition in womens' football and the 4th round ties at the weekend proved no exception. The only team from the National Premier League to lose to a team from lower down the ladder were Charlton Athletic but, given their massive problems this season, this could hardly count as a shock. The team to beat them were WFC Fulham who were in the same boat as the Addicks this time last season but are now on the road to recovery, helped partly by the problems suffered by Charlton. Indeed it was a former Charlton player who did the most damage on Sunday. Ann-Marie Heatherson's goals have been crucial to Fulham's promotion bid and she struck two more against her previous club to help knock them out of the cup with Cherrelly Albert driving the final nail into the Charlton coffin. The other top flight teams that looked in most danger were probably Cardiff City and Watford but they negotiated trips to Crewe and Manchester City respectively. Cardiff took a first half lead at Crewe through Natasha Harding but the game remained in the balance until late on when goals from Laurie Harries and Kelly Isaac, who struck twice, sealed a somewhat flattering 4-0 victory. Watford needed extra time to see off Manchester City 4-1 and a full match report for that game will follow. The only all Premier League clash saw Leeds United travel to Bristol Academy and this game went all the way to penalties before a winner could be found. Leeds looked to have edged a tight game when Amanada Barr struck five minutes from the end of normal time but Corinne Yorston forced extra time with an equaliser in stoppage time. Leeds were reduced to ten players during extra time when Sophie Walton was shown a second yellow card but the home side could not take advantage and when the game went to penalties Leeds came out on top 4-3 after Carly Telford saved three of Bristol's spot kicks. There was the usual carnage in some quarters. Arsenal met Newquay for the second time this season in cup competition and, remarkably, the 11-1 scoreline of the first game was repeated with Lianne Sanderson scoring four. Everton overwhelmed Barnet away from home 9-0 with Michelle Evans and Jody Handley both scoring twice while Liverpool despatched Forest Green Rovers 6-0 with six different goalscorers. Doncaster Belles were four up at half time before easing to an eventual 5-0 win at Swindon Town with Emily Heckler notching twice while Katie Anderton also got a couple in Blackburn's 4-1 win over Brighton. There were comfortable wins for Lincoln City, West Ham and Newcastle in all lower league clashes while Brooke Chaplen scored all four as Portsmouth sneaked a 4-3 win on their visit to Rotherham United. The biggest surprise of the round came at Millwall where Leicester City FCW won by the only goal. Leicester do top the Midland Combination, however, and have already dumped Nottingham Forest out of the competition so the Lionesses should certainly have been aware of the danger. As it was a fierce drive by Natasha Meade at the end of a flowing move was enough to give Leicester another fine victory. Leicester were then handed a cracking draw in the 5th round when they were pulled out at home to Everton while Leeds face another tough test after being drawn away at Chelsea. The two other all Premier League ties see Blackburn take on Liverpool while Cardiff entertain Doncaster.
FA Cup 4th Round Match Report Genuine cup upsets are few and far between in womens' football and I travelled to Flixton FC to see Manchester City, mid-table in the Premier League North, take on a Watford side enjoying a fine debut season in the National Premier League more in hope than real expectation. Right from the kick off, however, the home side showed that they were determined to do more than simply make the numbers up. Having already lost to Watford 4-0 in the League Cup this season City started with five in midfield to try and stifle their opponents but quickly showed that they also had attacking intentions of their own. Katie Brusell offered the first threat with a driving run down the left flank but, having just run out of pitch at the byeline, the eventual threat was to herself as she ended up half way over the perimeter fence. City quickly pressed down the other wing with the lone striker Shelley James showing a neat touch and good awareness to slip the ball through for Brusell whose first touch took her nicely past the last defender but once again the situation was too tight and the ball ran out for a goal kick. The home sides' early pressure did then create a genuine chance when Brusell stole possession deep in Watford territory and found James but the strikers' shot from a good position was weak and found only the side netting at Marie Hourihan's near post. Watford began to stem this early flow of City pressure but it was a full quarter of an hour before they offered a threat themselves. This came from an obvious source as Helen Lander's pace stretched the home defence in pursuit of a long ball over the top and the dangerous striker got in a shot at goal from a tight angle that Naveen Kirby was happy to bundle behind for a corner at her near post. City remained confident from their impressive start, however, and this was demonstrated when James produced an outrageous back heeled flick to take her beyond her marker into the Watford box but the visitors had defenders covering and the eventual shot was blocked. This was not the only time that City made progress with an improvised back heel or flick and with Brusell still the most influential attacker on show the home side remained the more impressive side. Watford, despite struggling to impose themselves generally, perhaps looked more likely to score when they did get forward and almost went ahead when Ashlee Hincks' corner from the right sailed straight over Kirby's head to the far post where Danni Young headed clear from the line. Rebecca Lee combined with Kelly McLellan in a good move as City continued to impress down their left hand side but once again the move fizzled out without a strike on goal. The five in midfield was working a treat up to a point but the obvious downside was the general isolation of Shelley James in attack. The home side were then guilty of surrendering possession in their own half and presented Lander with the ball and an apparent run on goal. The position was rescued by Charlotte Farrell whose last ditch challenge was timed to perfection. Watford were now coming more into the game and looked particularly dangerous whenever they got into crossing positions. There was one fearful collision between defender and attacker in front of goal following a fine right wing centre and then Hincks put over a cracking ball from the left which Charity Weston, marked by McLellan the smallest player on the pitch, somehow failed to make contact with. In fairness to Weston she had been the Watford player involved in the earlier collision and might still have been feeling a bit groggy. As for McLellan, or "Little Kel" as the City website calls her, she was not just the smallest player on this pitch, she is the smallest player I have ever seen anywhere. This was the only time her lack of inches was exposed in this game, however, and overall she gave a fine performance both in defence and pushing forward to support the attack intelligently. The game was far more even now with both sides hinting at a breakthrough. Brusell released Laura Gligan for City but her low, driven cross-shot was well claimed by Hourihan while at the other end a speculative dipping volley from Ellen Maggs was too high. Maggs, normally such a threat, was struggling to really influence this game and wasted a dangerous position with a woeful pass after City had given it away cheaply but when Lander surged down the left to put in a good low centre the home side were relieved to see Lindsay Savage's sliced clearance just miss the near post and go behind for a corner. Savage, along with Farrell, was excelling at the heart of the City defence, however, and produced another fine challenge on Lander to snuff out the final threat of the first half and the home side could be well pleased with their efforts in the first 45 minutes. Half Time: Manchester City Ladies 0 Watford Ladies 0 City had faded somewhat towards half time with the influential Katie Brusell struggling with a knock but came out in determined fashion again after the interval. The home side won an early corner which Gligan took and her weak centre was only half cleared by the Watford defence. Brusell refused the shooting opportunity and was crowded out as she tried to engineer a clearer opening. Watford's inability to deal with poor corners would become a feature of the second half, however. At the other end Hincks sent in a great through ball for Weston but Kirby was out of goal quickly and extremely bravely to gather. City responded with their best effort of the game so far. Gligan produced a good centre to the near post which Brusell met with a glancing header but the attempt rippled the wrong side of the netting from the home sides' point of view. Hincks, becoming an increasing influence, then combined well with Emma Beckett and her cut back found Mikaela Howell but the resulting shot was well blocked by the City defence. Ellen Maggs put a shot wide from the edge of the box but on 65 minutes City finally took the lead and a cup upset was suddenly definitely on the cards. Another clever pass from Brusell saw Hourihan having to dive at the feet of Rebecca Lee to concede a corner which was again taken by Gligan. This delivery was awful, low and weak, but somehow threaded its' way through a clutch of static defenders to find Shelley James unmarked in front of goal five yards out and the striker gladly accepted the gift. Watford looked to respond and there was a huge scramble inside the City area but Lander was unable to force the ball past Kirby who once again was bravery personified. City were not content to rest on their laurels, however, and produced another superb passing move which led to a left footed shot from Lee which unfortunately flew straight at the keeper. Watford's aerial threat remained obvious and Kirby had to make a good save following a Hincks free kick but when City then replaced the goalscorer James with Rachael Davies with just over ten minutes remaining the home side enjoyed their best spell of the entire game. For several minutes the home side had the visitors pressed back with a series of crisp passing moves revolving around the midfield pair of Lee and Lucy Hindley with Brusell, by now suffering badly with cramp, still suggesting real quality and danger. Gligan again produced a better ball in from open play which had Laura Jackson heading clear in front of her own keeper and when the ball fell to Brusell just outside the area her instant volley was too high. With Watford getting increasingly stretched and desperate the games' pivotal moment arrived. The ball dropped for Brusell thirty yards out faced by a couple of defenders but with a delightful body swerve the City attacker was suddenly clear on goal. Faced with Hourihan Brusell decided to shoot from the edge of the box but her sidefooted effort was too close to the keeper who dropped down to her right to save. Although there were only a few minutes left this seemed an important miss and it was a real pity that it should be Brusell, hugely impressive on the day, who was the culprit. Within minutes the miss had truly come back to haunt the home side. Lee made a good block to deflect a drive from Maggs behind for a corner but when this was swung into the box Kirby decided to come and claim, failed to gather, and Lander was on hand to slam home the loose ball. City had been summoning up reserves of energy to protect their lead and it was likely that this goal had knocked any remaining stuffing out of them. This suspicion was confirmed as Watford looked to clinch victory without the need of extra time. Beckett released Hincks with an inspired pass and the strong running forward was taken out by a lunging Farrell for just about the most blatant penalty you could ever wish to see. Somehow the referee decided the challenge was a fair one and the game was allowed to go on. It was a while before Hincks rejoined the fray, however, as she received prolonged treatment beyond the goalline. Watford's sense of injustice was almost compounded as City suddenly broke to the other end with Danni Young surging forward to find Lee whose scooped shot from the edge of the box dropped just wide of the upright with Hourihan beaten. Back to the other end and Watford forced another corner and with Kirby this time deciding to stay at home Beckett saw her header clip the top of the bar from close range. Full Time: Manchester City Ladies 1 Watford Ladies 1 Nobody could have really wanted extra time on such a bleak, freezing cold afternoon but it was obvious that Watford were now the stronger side. City claimed a penalty when Brusell's cross struck a hand but the referee gave the defender the benefit of the doubt. Brusell then sent in another of her impressive long throws which was only half cleared to Levi Wensley whose shot from 25 yards cleared the bar. This was the last act of Brusell who finally gave way to injury and fatigue and with her went any real hope for the home side. Within seconds Howell had won a free kick for Watford down the side of the box and when Kat McKenna whipped this in to the far post Cori Daniels came steaming in to head home. Watford could have clinced victory with the first period of extra time almost over when Young missed her interception to leave Hincks running through on goal but the forward's curling effort drifted wide of the far post. Watford were awarded a penalty at the start of the second period of extra time when Hincks' driven cross struck the hand of a City defender. This time the referee did not give the benefit of doubt to the defender but Hincks drove the penalty straight down the middle and Kirby, who had not gone anywhere, was able to punch the ball over the bar. There was little reason to think that this miss might prove expensive as the home side were now finding it almost impossible to get out of their own half. Helen Lander, as strong as ever, surged through three challengers before seeing her shot deflected just wide and Hincks produced a superb pass for Howell whose lay off deserved better than a scuffed shot from Ellen Maggs. The tie was then finally settled in tragi-comic fashion. Naveen Kirby had shown a positive dread of kicking the ball throughout and when a harrassed defender was forced into a back pass at close range the keeper went to pick it up before realising this was not allowed. Her reluctance to kick the damn thing was still apparent, however, although she did finally nudge the ball back into the box. The ball rolled straight to Mikaela Howell who drove in a low shot that was superbly cleared off the line by Danni Young but the ball dropped straight back to Howell who belted in the rebound without hesitation. It reflected well on City's spirit that in the few remaining seconds they were able to force a corner but when this was cleared Watford broke out in numbers against their shattered opponents and Hincks ended up squaring a perfect ball into the path of Lander who made no mistake. The final scoreline was exceptionally harsh on Manchester City who had matched Watford for the entire ninety minutes and played some excellent football in trying conditions on a hard, rutted pitch. Having been given a reprieve at the end of normal time, however, Watford had taken ruthless advantage against tiring opponents in extra time. Full Time (after extra time): Manchester City Ladies 1 Watford Ladies 4 Star Player: Katie Brusell This was a tough afternoon for the slightly built Brusell but her ability to run at defenders, her lovely touch and subtlety of pass made her the games' outstanding player.
Tuesday, January 15 Cardiff City's chances of avoiding relegation from the National Premier League took another blow on Sunday as they fell to a 5-0 defeat away at Chelsea. Cardiff held their opponents for almost an hour before falling behind to a Dunia Susi goal. Forced to then come out to try and salvage something the visitors ended up being punished heavily in the last ten minutes as goals from Danielle Buet, Ellen White, Emma Whitter and Eni Aluko turned it into a rout. It is hard to see Cardiff being able to pull off another escape after narrowly avoiding the drop last season although they will have been relieved to find out that Doncaster Belles, a team they could theoretically catch, had lost narrowly at Blackburn. These two sides served up an entertaining game on a very poor pitch with the outcome in the balance right up to full time. Blackburn made the perfect start when a lovely through ball from Katie Anderton, something of a rarity, sent Karen Hanson clear and she kept her composure to siedestep the keeper and last defender before slotting into an empty net. The Donny Belles bounceed back from this early setback and were level by the quarter hour when slack defending at a corner allowed Precious Hamilton to slot home. The visitors then took the lead when Liz Hansen bravely got her head to a deep centre in front of Blackburn keeper Sian Payne and saw her header lob into the net. In the second half it was Blackburn coming from behind to lead for the second time. Anderton showed quality and real composure to pull her side level with a precise, sidefooted finish from the edge of the box after being sent through the centre of the Belles defence and then Nicola Twohig stormed in to head home the winner from a corner. This win lifts Blackburn into second position in the league although several sides are poised to overtake them if they take advantage of their games in hand. The Donny Belles are not absolutely safe but it will be a major surprise if they get dragged into any real trouble now, especially as their performances have generally improved as the season has gone along. Of the teams trying to force their way into the top flight it was a good day in the North for Lincoln City as two more Jodie Snelson goals helped them on their way to a 3-0 win over Crewe Alexandra as they look to close the gap on Nottingham Forest. In the South WFC Fulham could only manage a draw at Millwall Lionesses but their most likely challengers, Portsmouth, were unable to take advantage after they were also held away from home at AFC Bath. Fulham led briefly at Millwall through chief goalscorer Ann-Marie Heatherson but were pegged back by a Chinwe Osuji goal while Portsmouth also scored first at Bath through Brooke Chaplen only for Holly Miles to ensure the points were shared. The final 4th round tie in the FA Cup went ahead with Sunderland hosting Birmingham City and it was the visiting favourites who won through after a tough battle. Birmingham were in control from the 13th minute when Jemma Buttler shot them ahead following a corner and, despite giving it a real go, Sunderland were never able to get back on terms. There was a flurry of activity in the closing stages as Becky Hall put the visitors two up with a fine goal, sidestepping a couple of defenders and firing home from the edge of the box, before Lucy Bronze quickly gave Sunderland hope by reducing the arrears. Any thoughts of a famous comeback were immediately dashed as Chelsea Weston smashed home a free kick, dislocating two of Helen Alderson's fingers in the process, before Laura Bassett put one past Sunderland's stand in keeper deep into injury time to give Birmingham a victory that was certainly deserved but ultimately flattering in the margin. Two dislocated fingers. Yikes.
Wednesday, January 23 Bad weather at the weekend saw more games falling victim to postponements and it is fair to say that the season so far has been hugely frustrating and somewhat disappointing. It feels as though the momentum of interest and excitement built up in the womens' game over the past few seasons has ebbed over recent months. With England having enjoyed a respectable World Cup campaign at the start of this season and thereby created exceptional interest from the media and the public this might have been expected to be a time of plenty for the domestic game. Instead the general apathy towards womens' football, aside from the actual participants, remains as obvious as ever with games attracting tiny attendances and paltry media attention, particularly from television. In some ways the World Cup hasn't helped the situation. Taking place, as it did, during our actual season it meant that while our top club sides were delayed in kicking off their season the teams with no England internationals were able to get under way at the normal time. This has led to a lopsided league table and given the competition a somewhat surreal feel. This has not increased the interest or potential drama, however. Although Bristol Academy and Blackburn Rovers currently lead the way in the Premier League they are simply waiting for Arsenal and Everton to overtake them to claim their normal places at the top while hoping to stay ahead of teams such as Leeds United and Chelsea. The usual batch of postponed fixtures has further hindered the progress of the league season and this continues to test the patience and enthusiasm of all involved in the womens' game. Denied access to league grounds the women have to make do and mend on a variety of non league facilities which will always be at the mercy of inclement weather. Of course it does not always take the weather to get a game called off in womens' football. Spectators turned up at Clitheroe earlier on in the season to watch Blackburn take on Everton only to find the game called off due to a waterlogged pitch. They were informed of this by the only person present who happened to be the Clitheroe groundsman happily mowing the perfectly playable pitch. Then there was the fiasco of Arsenal not turning up at Birmingham City. There were murmurings from the FA at the time about possible repercussions for this failure to fulfil a fixture but, not surprisingly, nothing looks like being done. Arsenal also contributed to the general air of disappointment by surrendering their UEFA Cup crown in the first knockout stage after Everton had failed to make it past the second group stage. Then of course there is the ongoing FA review of the womens' game. The existence of such a thing became public knowledge last summer when our governing body reacted to widespread criticism of their inertia as Charlton Athletic Ladies suddenly faced extinction. Apparently, however, their review had already been started and results were promised, vaguely, in the short term. This should have provided a boost to womens' football but, as the review continues to drag on, it feels more like a cloud hanging over the game than a genuine opportunity for improvement and progress. Hopefully the eventual results will prove this to be false. Somewhat strangely the responsibility for the review has been handed to a team of consultants. You would have thought that the FA themselves should be the body best able to decide the way forward for the womens' game but we should perhaps be grateful that they are trusting to the judgement of others. No doubt employing consultants is a fairly expensive option but I think most people probably believe that the FA have far more money than good sense. Having outlined some of the problems that have contributed towards putting a dampener on the season so far there is no doubt that a review into and, probably, a restructuring of womens' football is needed but will the conclusions really be of long term benefit? We will have to wait and see what those conclusions are, of course, although the one idea which does seem to be prominent is that of summer football. Without genuine details it is hard to comment. As it stands the womens season only really breaks for June and July so summer football may well still involve playing most of the year round but simply skipping the really bad months like December and January. It has also been suggested that the top division be reduced to involve less teams and if that happened then the season could well be shortened to take place from late spring to early autumn. This would remove most of the problems with postponements but the suggestion that it would lead to increased attendances through avoiding the clash with mens' football seems wide of the mark to me. It is so cheap to watch womens' football that I can't see why anyone would be put off watching during the winter months just because they watch on the Saturday as well. OK, the womens' games interfere with the live televised Sunday matches but surely the whole nation doesn't sit at home or go to the pub every Sunday just to watch the live Sky games, do they? A major point to consider when considering summer football is the England team. Every other year, we hope, the England team will be involved in a major championship. These championships will be played in the summer and would therefore disrupt a summer domestic league more obviously than the World Cup has done this season. Of even more pertinence is the fact that qualification for these tournaments is earned over the winter months. If we switched our domestic season to the summer this might place us at a disadvantage in attempting to qualify. At the very best we could expect to be playing qualifiers either right at the start or right at the end of our domestic season. At worst we could be turning up to play games after months of inactivity. It could be argued that this would allow the England squad to have longer together to prepare but it is unlikely that this would be as useful as regular competitive football as a means of preparation. This situation would be the same for the English clubs taking part in the UEFA Cup each year and the value of success at these very top levels is paramount to the progress of womens' football. It inspires youngsters to get involved and it also lures television towards the womens' game. Personally the first person I would have consulted in a review of womens' football would have been the head of sport at the BBC. I would have gone armed with possible options for the development of the womens' game and tried to sell it as a package, long term, to the corporation. The only real way of getting more spectators to grounds and more sponsors for our clubs is by getting the game regularly onto the television. I don't think modern society thinks anything is worth taking notice of unless it is on television every week. If people got to watch these girls play more regularly and gained an insight into their personalities and what it takes to play at the top level of the womens' game then I think they would be willing to make the effort to go and watch them in the flesh while businesses would be more willing to be associated with them and the game. As for the two games that did go ahead in the National Premier League at the weekend Leeds enjoyed a 3-0 win at Liverpool while Blackburn scored a last minte equaliser to draw at Chelsea. Leeds got the benefit of an extremely generous penalty to open the scoring at Liverpool when a sound looking tackle on Sue Smith by Gayle Formston was penalised and Amanada Barr tucked away the spot kick. Smith then increased the lead in somewhat bizarre circumstances. Having been put clear through the middle the England winger decided it would be better to switch the ball back onto her left peg rather than trust her right. She managed this with a magnificent spin over the ball but then sent in a strange, loopy shot that looked anything but convincing. It did find the top corner of the net, however. Victory was confirmed by a genuinely smart finsh from substitute Mel Sutcliffe in the second half. Chelsea simply cannot get their season going properly and were left rueing a string of missed chances against Blackburn after Dunia Susi had given them an early lead. Katie Anderton punished the home sides' profligacy in the last minute with Rovers' equaliser. Having complained about a lacklustre first half of the season I can only hope for a rousing second half and one date that offers possible excitement has now been pencilled into the calender. The League Cup final between Arsenal and Everton has been set for February 28 and will be held at Leyton Orient. This game will be shown live on television although this has meant that the game has been shifted from its' normal weekend slot to a Thursday night. By holding the final in the capital there should still be a healthy crowd while everyone else has the chance to watch as well. Hopefully Everton can really give Arsenal a run for their money in this one but this seems to be one of my recurring, unfulfilled fantasies along with winning the lottery and playing a round of golf with Fara Williams (on the moon). Still, you never know. Patrick Higgins wrote in response to the previous article: As always I found your views interesting and relevent...there has been a sense of this domestic season being hugely patchy and ruined by the World Cup, by lack of credible opposition for Arsenal, by the gap left by Charlton's collapse, by Chelsea's disappointing season. I diagree however to some extent with your analysis of the reasons for low attendance at top flight games on winter Sundays. I saw a womens game every Sunday and am a season ticket holder at a championship club but I wonder how many other people are prepared to commit both weekend days to watching football. Family and relationships might well cause people to prioritise at the expense of womens football. Also, many potential spectators are players themselves in the huge number of lower league womens matches which are played on Sunday afternoons. Switch Kelly, Fara, Unitt and co to a time when no other football is available to play or watch and attendances might well rise and tv might find a corner for a weekly match on Setanta or Sky or a credible highlights package which emphasised these peoples' skills and their personalities and the friendly atmosphere which the womens game has. This was emphasised to me at the League Cup semi where a Fifa top 5 ranked woman footballer was wandering round the ground with her dog chatting to friends and fans, no airs and graces despite being one of greatest players this country has ever known. A summer Premier League of 12 clubs playing from the end of April to the end of October with a League Cup attached might just be the solution. Choose 12 areas with strong womens teams and a fan base potential and give them 3/5 years guaranteed semi pro funding and no relegation and see if it works.
Monday, January 28 Newcastle United provided the shock of the 5th round in the WFA Cup beating Watford on penalties after fighting back from 3-1 down with two goals late in normal time. Newcastle, the away side, took the lead courtesy of an own goal by Watford keeper Marie Hourihan but it looked as though the National Premier League side would be going through when goals by Emma Thomas, Helen Lander and Ashlee Hincks gave them their two goal advantage. Battling Newcastle forced extra time in a frantic last seven minutes with goals from Elaine Sedgewick and Julie Twaddle, the latter bringing the scores level with a speculative effort from long range. There were no further goals in extra time and the shootout was a desperately nervy affair with the Premier League North outfit finally sneaking through 2-1 on penalties. One other side from outside the top flight was certain to be in the last eight after Lincoln City and Portsmouth, both going well in their respective divisions, were paired together and it was the North's representatives who won through with something to spare. Jodie Snelson banged in a hat trick in Lincoln's 5-1 win, Portsmouth's goal coming from their chief goalgetter Brooke Chaplen. The other lower league sides taking on top flight opposition were all defeated. Leicester City FCW battled gamely at home to Everton but ended up losing 3-0 with Jody Handley netting twice while West Ham suffered a predictable 8-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal, Lianne Sanderson grabbing a couple. WFC Fulham look a good bet to reclaim a place in the top flight but were reminded of the gap they will have to bridge if they do so as they lost at home to Birmingham City 2-0. This was a tightly fought encounter settled by two moments of quality from Heather Scheuber who is enjoying a fine season for Birmingham. Firstly she volleyed home smartly from the edge of the box and then provided the second with a smart finish from close range. Blackburn Rovers finally managed to put one over on Liverpool this season although it looked as though the Reds might prove their bogey side again when Chantelle Parry gave them the lead early in the second half. On this occasion Blackburn's response was emphatic, however, as goals from Natalie Preston, Katie Anderton, Levi Penny and Karen Burke gave them a 4-1 victory. The two other all Premier League clashes both went to extra time. Cardiff City trailed at home to Doncaster Belles at half time through a headed goal by Veronica Cantoro but pulled level through Nicola Cousins in an end to end second half and looked to have secured victory when Loren Dykes put them ahead five minutes from time. Nothing is ever that simple for the Welsh club, however, and they suffered a real body blow when Liz Hansen ran through to finish calmly in the last minute. All credit then to the home side for responding positively in extra time and they did eventually claim victory thanks to a fine headed goal from Dykes. The other tie, between Chelsea and Leeds United, went all the way to penalties and looked in danger of carrying on indefinitely as the sides remained locked together. This always looked the most evenly matched contest of the round and so it proved as normal time remained goalless. The game stayed deadlocked until well into the second period of extra time when Lizzie Edwards suddenly put Chelsea in front. It had taken 112 minutes for the first goal to arrive, the next one came in a matter of seconds as Leeds pressed forward from the kick off for Amanda Barr to equalise. The game therefore had to be settled on penalties and after the regulation five spot kicks each the teams were still level at 4-4. Both sides scored again but after Leeds' debutant keeper Emma Higgins then saved Sue Smith stepped forward to settle the tie. Leeds now travel again in the quarter finals with a trip to Cardiff City while Birmingham have pulled the short straw and will visit Arsenal. Newcastle United have been rewarded for their victory over Watford with an attractive home tie against Everton but will have their work cut out to progress. Lincoln City, on the other hand, will undoubtedly fancy their chances of pulling off a shock against Blackburn Rovers. One team who will no doubt be happy to see Lincoln's cup run continue will be Nottingham Forest who are vying with them for the promotion spot in the Premier League North and will be hoping this becomes a distraction to The Lady Imps and also causes a bit of fixture congestion, after all, all's fair in love, war and football. Forest did their promotion hopes no harm after recovering from the shock of an early goal to win handsomely, 5-1, away at Preston while Lincoln were busy doing battle in the cup.
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