Women's Report | Cardinals bow out of FA Cup

Woking 2-3 Leatherhead
Vitality Women's FA Cup
Sunday 10th September

Woking were unable to continue their 2023/24 FA Cup campaign as three first-half goals from the visitors were enough to send them through into the next round.

A brace from Helen Ogle couldn’t quite see the cards complete their fightback, on a day where so many chances had been created but ultimately not put away.

The game's first chance fell to Sheena Nichol when she had time outside the box, but her effort whistled over the bar. From the resulting goal kick, however, Helen managed to intercept the ball and set herself up with a one-versus-one, but her shot was too central and was denied.

Helen was involved in the action again soon after when a fantastic corner by Laura Mitchell found her with space inside the box, but her headed effort was well saved.

Despite being the team on top, it was Leatherhead who took the lead 13 minutes into the game when their first counter-attack saw a cross-shot from the right-hand side loop over Roz Markham in goal.

From the restart, Woking were very much the team on top again and had the chance to equalise when skipper Kaitlin Howard drove down the right and managed to get the ball into the box, but it went across the goal and evaded everyone.

Contrary to this though, the Tanners doubled their lead shortly after as a shot from distance beat Roz in goal.

The Cards never allowed their heads to drop and just five minutes later they were back in the game when a fantastic strike on the left-hand side from summer signing Helen, beat the ‘keeper and smashed into the back of the net.

Just past the half-hour mark, there was a well-needed drinks break, due to a foul on Helen. Sheena took the resulting free-kick and saw her effort fly just centimetres over the goal.

Although the visitors were ahead, they only started making strides in the game towards the end of the half and tested Roz when a great piece of skill allowed time for a shot but it went wide of the goal.

The pressure continued though and a third goal shortly before halftime restored Leatherhead’s two-goal advantage.

HT: Woking 1-3 Leatherhead

Two substitutions during the break and a formation change really gave Woking a fresh identity going into the second half. Efrosyni Theocharous and Gracie Price replaced Sheena as well as Eva Keen.

What followed was an entire half dedicated to chances after chances that unfortunately just wouldn’t level up the game. The first came from Kaitlin when she did brilliantly down the left-hand side and found Charlotte Keenan in the middle, but the ‘keeper saved her effort.

Next up to test the goalkeeper was Efro as she wriggled her way into the box but her effort went wide of the post. Gracie then had her first chance since being introduced to the game, but her shot went only a few inches past the goal.

With Sheena now off the pitch, it was Helen who took a free-kick on the left-hand side after being fouled from behind. Her eventual effort looped over everybody in the box, including the opposition ‘keeper, but it agonisingly rattled against the crossbar before being cleared.

Yet more chances were created in such short spaces of time, with the next attempt coming from Kaitlin after her trademark run on the right was fired across goal and the ball ended up sliding underneath the goalie and squeezing past the post. It may have even taken a little nick on its way out.

Finally though, the attacking threat paid off as a corner from Laura was sent into the box and the referee awarded a penalty kick for an alleged shirt pull. Helen stepped up and placed the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-3.

On the odd occasion where the Tanners did manage to break away, it very rarely ended up in a dangerous attack but with well over an hour gone, the visitors found themselves with the chance to score a fourth but were heroically denied by Fran Cotter at the back. The defender followed her player from the first phase and timed her slide challenge to perfection.

With time running out, Woking's last couple of chances to send the game to penalties really summed up the second-half performance. Two corners both ended up in a goal-line scramble and somehow the ball was cleared to see the hosts knocked out of this year's competition.

FT: Woking 2-3 Leatherhead

It wasn’t to be in the end, but there is no doubt that this newly put-together team have the star quality it takes to win games of football. With the amount of chances created in the second half, it’s clear that better times will follow and there’s no better time than the present, as preparation now turns to next Sunday’s league game against AFC Porchester in the reverse fixture.

Woking Starting XI: Markham, Boddy, Underhill, Mitchell, Cotter, Nichol (46), Keen (46), Ogle, Bryan-Kerr (70), Howard, Keenan
Subs: Burgess, Theocharous (46), Richards, Christie, Price (46), Hobday (70)

Attendance: 103

Player of the Match: Helen Ogle