Adobe Women’s FA Cup
Team: Melling, Cooper, Brooks, Lewin, Searle, Blodgett, Hennessy, D’Santos, Stanley, Dzyadyk, Ward-Chambers
Subs: Munro, Sampson, McCrea, Goddard, Owen, Kennedy, Randall,
After knocking out Herne Bay, Rangers were then given a home draw against Saltdean United. The Sussex side were formed as recently as 2017 and play their home games at Hill Park.
On a very windy afternoon at the SkyEx Community Stadium, Paddington Steve’s daughter, Leah, led out the Rangers team.
Into the game, and Jess Cooper’s excellent sliding interception in the box could well have denied the visitors taking an early lead.
Then, Caitlin Sullivan in space, and just ten yards out, somehow shot wide of the target.
Rangers then began to grow into the game and following Jess Cooper’s excellent run upfield, a precise pass from the R’s No.14 found Courtnay Ward-Chambers, whose angled shot forced a good save from the keeper.
From the resulting corner, the ball went on to fall to Georgie Lewin and the QPR captain let fly from fully 25-yards, giving Faye Baker little chance of keeping it out.
A few minutes later, a superb pass from Grace Stanley found Annie Dzyadyk who tried rounding the keeper, but it came to nothing.
At the other end, Nikita Whinnett’s attempt at goal lacked power and Nicole Melling was able to make a comfortable save.
Jo Blodgett pulled the trigger from just outside the box, but Faye Baker was able to successfully grab the ball. Half-time: 1-0.
Into the second-half and the home side almost doubled their lead following a corner when a close-range attempt was cleared off the line.
After 14 minutes play, the visitors’ dugout suddenly tipped/backwards! The referee stopped the game and a few minutes later a couple of stewards arrived, but their attempt to secure it was unsuccessful.
There must have been other options put to the visitors to enable the game to continue, but eventually it became clear that Mr Fabry was going to abandon the game!
The match was replayed a week later.
Steve Russell
