First Time is Special but No FA Cup Surprise

It was unfortunate, if inevitable at this time of year, that several players were missing from our first ever appearance in the Women’s FA Cup at Hepworth yesterday, which meant we travelled with a reduced squad for the game.

There were also two late enforced changes. Beth Thompson was not sufficiently recovered from illness to play, and manager David Kwiatek was unable to travel due to family illness, with Assistant Manager Pearse Lavery looking after the team with support from Andy Laight.

Although unable to play, it was nice to see Beth still travel to support the team. It’s a pity that so many players had to miss the opportunity to play in a game we’d all been looking forward to; appearing in the FA Cup is a special experience and one that not many players can put on their playing CV.

Annabel Laight (Annie) was making her competitive debut for Pride Park. Beth Jones was playing her first game for over over a year, and Hannah Kwiatek, replacing Beth Thompson in the starting eleven at the last minute, was playing despite not having trained for the last two months after injury.

Hepworth is in a rural setting, just south of Holmfirth and was extensively used as one of the locations in the BBC’s long-running comedy series Last of the Summer Wine. So it was no surprise that Hepworth’s ground is set in a very picturesque location. However, when we saw the pitch we realised we’d brought the wrong kit bag - we needed the other one, with the crampons, carabiners, safety harness, jumars and climbing rope; as we found ourselves playing up probably the steepest slope on a pitch we’ve ever encountered, and into the wind, so we established first half base camp near the edge of our area;)

There were, perhaps, some initial nerves with this being our first appearance in the FA Cup, and our first competitive game of the season; Jade miskicked an early goal-kick straight to a Hepworth striker, who couldn’t find the target and a defensive error lead to an opening goal for the hosts after the quarter hour.

There was nothing we could do about the second goal, however, which was an unstoppable screamer from 30 yards out, leaving Jade with no chance.

A minute later, on the half hour, Hepworth scored a third after Jade came out to make a save in a one-on-one with a striker, but was unfortunate as the ball rebounded for the striker to knock the ball past Jade for a second striker to score from close range. Hepworth scored a fourth a minute before the interval.

Although we had been fortunate not to concede a penalty in the first half, there was a sense of disappointment at the score line at half-time and although we had found it hard going up the slope and into the wind, Hepworth had made the most of the advantage.

We were hoping to do the same in the second half, but conceded a fifth just after the hour. However, we immediately pulled a goal back, when Beth Jones brought the ball out from the back, and after a long run played the ball through for Summer Evans to score our first goal in the FA Cup.

Hepworth were in a strong position, and trying to slow the game down whilst we were playing more directly than in the first half. Summer and Annie were combining well and were unfortunate not to score more than the the solitary goal. In the end, with no fresh legs to bring on, we just didn’t have enough in the tank to make the most of the slope and wind in the second half as we ran out of steam a little.

Jade had made a couple of good saves, but with three minutes left came out at the feet of a Hepworth striker and brought her down. Fortunately, the spot kick was hit wide of the target as the game finished 5-1.

It had been an enjoyable game, played in a great spirit by both teams, and we were grateful for our hosts excellent post-match hospitality. We’ll watch with interest to see how Hepworth progress and wish them well in the next round.

Whilst Hepworth were worthy winners, we played well in a game that was closer than the scoreline suggests, and had a few chances we felt we could have doe better with. Nevertheless, it was an encouraging performance against opposition from a higher league, and there was plenty for us to build on for the games ahead. The result certainly stands up in comparison to some of the other preliminary round scorelines, with several double digit scores.

Post Match Reaction:
Skipper Tash Allderidge said: "It was a good game and I think everyone enjoyed the experience. It was hard in the first half playing up the slope and into the wind, and was a shame to go four down. Overall I thought it was a good performance, a closer game than the scoreline suggests, and lots of positives to take into the next games".

Goalscorer Summer Evans said: "It was a really good experience, and great sportsmanship throughout. I think it would have been a closer scoreline on another day. We did each other proud under the circumstances, against a team from a higher league, and with no substitutes - my legs gave way under me at times with the incline of the pitch in first half - but the second half was 1-1 which speaks for itself. I was buzzing to get on the scoresheet though!"

The Ladies are in cup action again next week, when they play Draycott Victoria in the first “round robin” game of the Regional Cup qualifying at Draycott (kick off at 1.30pm).