Spurs Ladies ensured their name was in the draw for the fourth round of the Women’s FA Cup after leaving it late to come away with a 2-1 win, and handing fellow high-flyers Blackburn Rovers their first defeat this campaign.
The hosts started on the front foot early on. Ella Toone broke away on the left looking for Saffron Jordan, Renée Hector dealt with the initial threat, but Jess Holbrook fired back towards goal forcing Toni-Anne Wayne to get down low to collect. Rovers took the lead on seven minutes. Danielle Whitham charged up the right flank playing with some fortune across to Toone, who made no mistake placing across goal and into the bottom corner from inside 12 yards.
Leah Rawle’s outside-of-the-boot pass was sprayed first-time through to Wendy Martin, who looked to have been in on goal, but for Ellie Cook’s hooked clearance. Jordan drifted out to the right, crossing for Toone, who guided just wide across the face of goal.
The momentum swung after 19 minutes. Nikita Whinnett sprayed a pass out to Bianca Baptiste who burst forward on a menacing run, prior to her first-time attempted lob sailing over Danielle Hill and looping in.
Cook’s pinpoint, cross-field pass allowed Whitham to attempt to cut in on goal, met with Rawle’s last-ditch athletic challenge. Sophie McLean sprung forward slipping Whinnett down the right, her precision cross was headed into the top corner by Martin for a smart finish, but the linesman deemed her offside.
Following the restart, Martin’s looped pass found the overlapping Baptiste who struck with clout towards the bottom corner, which forced Ellie Stewart into a vital block. Toone’s one-two with Jordan saw her low driven cross arrive at Lynda Shepherd, who fired over from close.
Mclean hustled Toone for Josephine Green to collect and majestically set Baptiste away on the inside right channel, but her dangerous cross was snatched by Hill out of the grasp of Whinnett. Whinnett rolled across to Riana Soobadoo from 20-yards, whose curler flew just over the upright with Hill left flat-footed.
Whinnett drifted from left to right before cutting inside finding Mclean, but her dipper was deflected inches over by Cook. Toone’s ball over the top was latched onto by Jordan breaking away, who was met by Hector’s guided clearance. Whitham’s cross found Natasha Fenton, whose fizzing 18-yard strike was matched by Hector’s diligent block.
Lucia Leon stopped Toone in her traps, prior to driving into the area, but her poke at goal was cleared by Stewart. Jenna Schillaci’s corner was headed on by Martin finding Whinnett for an overhead kick, which was headed off the line by Hannah Fryer.
Toone broke the offside trap, ultimately placing wide in a hurry across the penalty area after Wayne rushed out.
In the 93rd minute, Wayne’s goal kick was flicked on by Martin for Baptiste to latch onto and she went on a pacing run, prior to cutting inside and finding the top corner with a scorching strike.
Spurs Ladies: Toni-Anne Wayne, Lucia Leon, Jenna Schillaci (captain), Renée Hector, Leah Rawle (Eartha Pond 84), Josephine Green, Riana Soobadoo, Sophie McLean, Bianca Baptiste, Wendy Martin (Kelley Blanchflower 90+6), Nikita Whinnett. Substitutes (not used): Megen Lynch, Maya Vio.
