| GUERNSEY FC WOMEN | 2 | – | 3 | CHESSINGTON & HOOK UNITED LADIES |
| Hedley 3′, 34′ | Demitriou 32′, 37′ Waterfall-Oldham, 45+2′ |
Guernsey’s debut in the Women’s FA Cup ended in a narrow defeat to Chessington & Hook United at Victoria Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Green Lionesses took the lead twice in the first half, including within three minutes, but were behind by the break. It took them a while to get going in the second half as they pushed for an equaliser and despite a late flurry of half-chances it was too little, too late and they couldn’t find their way past a solid Zoe McNulty in the Chessington & Hook goal.
Calleigh Hedley was back after nearly a year out and her impact was instant. It was a classic Hedley goal as she chased a ball down the left channel, ran in behind and found the far bottom corner after just two minutes. It came after excellent build-up in which Aimee Ogier found Codie Le Flem with a neat pass and Ogier’s decoy overlapping run created space for Le Flem to play Hedley in behind.
Alana Hockey held a low shot from Holly Hawkes and was relieved to see Sophia Demitriou’s shot bounce away off the crossbar after the Chessington forward ran in between the Guernsey centre backs onto a bouncing ball as the visitors pursued and instant reply.
Le Flem was teed up by Hedley on the edge of the box on 20 minutes and her shot was nearly fumbled in by McNulty.
The visitors levelled just after the half-hour to spark a flurry of activity with three goals in five minutes. The ball fell kindly in the box for Demitriou, who swivelled and hit it into the far corner.
But GFC responded well to the setback and were back in front just two minutes later. Amy Dallamore’s early ball in found Donna Gallienne on the edge of the area. She helped the ball on to Hedley, who steadied herself before picking out the far corner.
In a back and fourth game, Chessington were back on level terms a second time three minutes later as Demitriou charged down a miss-hit clearance and lobbed the ball over Hockey into the far corner.
The away side were getting on top now and Olivia Watson had a shot smothered by Hockey before she hit the outside of the post from the rebound.
Chessington frustratingly turned it round with virtual the last kick of the half as a cross came in from the left into the path of Emily Waterfall-Oldham, who buried it first time from the middle of the area.
Anna Gauvain’s side probed in the second half but were forced to settle from mostly speculative efforts from distance. Efforts from Scarlett Gallagher and Amy Dallamore dropped just over while Le Flem and Candice Bougourd had a couple straight down the throat of McNulty.
Le Flem had a good chance at the end of a move that saw the Greens move the ball from left to right and back again, but Guernsey’s number seven dragged her shot into the side netting.
Hockey made a routine save to hold a free-kick from Gabriella Hobday while McNulty stuck out a foot to block as Hedley was put through by Gallienne.
Hedley got in behind again after a good ball from Le Flem but her shot from the edge of the area zipped wide of the post.
Two Le Flem shots had McNulty scrambling but she was able to get an arm to both. From the resulting corner from the second, the ball dropped to Mollie Watson right in front of goal but somehow she stabbed wide – that was Guernsey’s golden chance of the half.
Substitute Adrienne Leech ran onto a clearance right at the death but McNulty parried the shot, and the Lionesses’ late push came to nothing.
Chessington & Hook go on to play Havant & Waterlooville or Horsham in the next round.
21 Alana HOCKEY; 4 Aimee OGIER (23 Zakiyya QASIM, HT); 5 Scarlett KENNEALLY; 6 Amy DALLAMORE; 7 Codie LE FLEM; 8 Candice BOUGOURD (c); 9 Calleigh HEDLEY; 10 Donna GALLIENNE; 14 Steph BATISTE (3 Mollie WATSON, 71’); 17 Elenista LAMBROU; 18 Scarlett GALLAGHER (11 Adrienne LEECH, 75’). Not used: 12 Elise LE LACHEUR; 15 Kellie CREED; 16 Emily McCARTNEY.
1 Zoe McNULTY; 2 Chloe McCARTHY; 4 Katherine MORRIS (7 Melissa ANDERS, 57’); 6 Demi LEWIS; 8 Honey ELLIS (C); 9 Holly HAWKES (20 Lara BURROWS, 73’); 11 Olivia WATSON (14 Imogen CLARKE, 80’); 12 Gabriella HOBDAY; 16 Emily WATERFALL-OLDHAM; 18 Nadine ROBERTS; 19 Sophia DEMITRIOU (5 Amy STRATFORD, 61’).
