United into league cup quarter final

The third meeting between the two teams this season saw United put aside the double league loss to City and advance to the quarter final stage of the league cup with a visit to defending cup holders Ascot United on 11th February 2024. The two teams met at the Racecourse ground last season in a first round tie.

The win against Oxford was an accomplished performance that saw the hosts start brightly with Sarah Lawrence and May Hamblin lively on both wings. However, it was City’s Anna Cook who look most likely to open the scoring as twice in a minute, a quarter of a hour into the game when shot wide at the near post and then forces Sophie Cheadle, in the Woodley goal, to concede a corner.

Oxford’s goal keeper Holly Jenkins was required to clear outside her penalty area as Lawrence ran onto a defence splitting pass but either side was able to break the deadlock before half time.

Woodley thought they had taken the lead on the hour when Ellen Surtees’ cross evaded Saj Turner and was converted by Gemma Sims only to be disallowed for Turner to be adjudged offside and interfering with Jenkins line of vision.

It was the same two players who were involved in the game’s opening goal. Surtees took a corner kick; Sims lost her marker and was able to meet the ball at the far post to head into the net from a couple of yards after seventy seven minutes of play.

Seven minutes later Sims was involved in the second goal. She took a short free kick on Woodley left, playing the ball to Lawrence who in turn returned the ball to Sims. The defender fired a low shot into the Oxford penalty area that a diving Jenkins parried into the path of recent signing Tina Brett to poke the ball into the net from close range.

The game then became fractious with Woodley seeking to defend the lead and Oxford find a way back into the match. Oxford’s cause was not helped in the ninetieth minute when Emily Harris received two yellows cards, one for delaying the start from a throw in and then failing to cooperate with the match official when asked her name.

United saw the remaining few minutes out without incident to progress into the quarter finals.

Cheadle. Haines (Hobson), Evans, Hudson (Quinn), Sims, Surtees , Lawrence, Sawyer (Ayckbourn), Brett (Turner), Humphrey (Devlin), Hamblin