Women's football round-up: Wolves and Villa advance in the FA Cup
Wolves are set for consecutive appearances in the fifth round of the FA Women's Cup after beating Cheltenham Town 2-0 away from home, writes Dan Hickey.
Last season’s Cup run saw Wolves go further in the competition than at any point in the last 20 years, while second-half goals from Amber Hughes and Beth Merrick on Sunday saw the side repeat that success.
The visitors are one of two third-tier teams left in the competition, alongside fellow National League Northern Premier side Rugby Borough.
Manager Dan McNamara said: “If we put into context what the girls have just done there, forget who the opposition is, they’ve got themselves into the last 16 of the FA Cup, the fifth round, again - for the second year running.
“I’ve said that to them, ‘please don’t get on the bus and feel a little bit of a lull. Be proud of what you’ve done, because there’s not many tier three players that’ll get to the fifth round. Never mind do it two years consecutively'.”
The visit to Cheltenham saw the Old Gold earn their victory on a 3G pitch, despite playing their home games on AFC Telford United’s grass pitch at the New Bucks Head.
On his opposition, McNamara said: “They're hard to break down and they play on this pitch really well.
“It’s tight and you can’t move it as quick as you’d want to on the surface, but they play it fantastically well and first half, they probably should’ve been 1-0 up and leading the game.
“But we stuck at it, we battled well, we did the hard things that we probably didn’t see against West Brom, and effectively that’s why the girls have got their result today.”
Elsewhere in the Cup, Aston Villa were dominant against fourth-tier Bristol Rovers. Gabi Nunes got a hat-trick as the Super League side triumphed 9-0, while Rachel Daly (two), Paula Tomas, Chasity Grant, Kirsty Hanson and Jill Baijings added to the tally.
West Brom were knocked out on the road by Cup holders Manchester United, losing 7-0.
In the West Midlands Premier Division, Lye Town remain top of the table after a 2-1 victory over Shifnal Town, with Brit Lote netting a brace for Lye.
Kidderminster Harriers are keeping the pressure on the league-leaders after a 5-0 win at Shrewsbury Town. Millie Rogers scored four and Bethany Gallagher got one as their side sits three points behind Lye with a game in hand.
Halesowen Town slipped to second in West Midlands Division One South after a 1-1 draw with Hereford Pegasus, while in Division One North, Hednesford Town held on to their top spot with a 2-1 win against Lichfield City.
