3/1 To Win
Derby County Women superbly booked their place in the Fourth Round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup with a 5-1 away win at Chester Le Street Town Ladies on Sunday.
A first half goal-blitz saw Sam Griffiths' side cruise into Monday's draw and continue their involvement in the competition beyond the Christmas break.
Forward Yasmin Mosby got the ball rolling after just three minutes and midfielder Becky May doubled the lead inside the opening five minutes.
Skipper Amy Sims added two more goals to her tally for the season either side of the half hour mark before Mosby added her second and Derby's fifth just before the break.
Chester Le Street pulled a goal back midway through the second half through Laura Hockaday, but it was nothing more than a consolation for the hosts as the Ewes comfortably avoided a cup upset against lower league opposition in wet and muddy conditions.
Derby will now wait with interest to see who they will face in the Fourth Round draw on Tuesday with Women’s Super League sides now entering the draw and ties will take place on Sunday 14th January 2024.
“We Were Exceptional In The First Half” - Griffiths
Manager Sam Griffiths described her side’s first half showing as ‘exceptional’ as they scored all five of their goals in the opening 45 minutes.
Derby have handled cup clashes against lower league opposition well this term and Griffiths was pleased to see the Ewes do so once again in the North East and reach the Fourth Round.
Griffiths felt there were some areas that could have been better in the Ewes’ display, notably in the second half, but she was generally happy with what she saw as Derby made it six wins in a row in all competitions.
Speaking after the final whistle, she said: “The most important thing was we came here today and conducted ourselves in the right way and got through to the next round and, overall, we’re really happy.
“I thought in the first half, we were exceptional. In the second half, debatable. However, it was hard to judge with the conditions and the pitch.
“It wasn’t an easy game at all and I thought we were excellent in really difficult conditions. We still tried to principally play how we want to, but we had to find a different way too and that’s fine.”
She added: “In recent years we’ve gone out the cups a bit earlier than we would have wanted to, so it was important to set some targets around the cups and aim for some progression this year.
“It is good to do that as it keeps league momentum going as well and to be in the next round will only help us.”
“It Is Coming Together Really Nicely” - Sims
Captain Amy Sims believes things are ‘coming together really nicely’ after seeing the side record a sixth successive victory in all competitions.
The Ewes started the season slowly but have been on excellent run of form in recent months to climb the league table and make progress in the FA Cup and National League Plate.
Sims has played her part with her goals once again this term and she was delighted to add two more to her tally and help Derby book their spot in the Fourth Round.
She said: “The main aim in this game was to get through to the next round and the girls really dug in to do that.
“It was probably a different type of game than what we’re used to with the pitch and the conditions, but that’s football and you have work it out on the day on the pitch. We did that and got the job done in the end, even though we could have had a few more goals.
“We knew it was going to be like it was because of the amount of rain we’ve seen this week and after last week’s game against Burnley being called off, we wanted to play and keep our momentum going.”
She added: “As a team, we’re really clicking
right now. We’re trying to do the right things; play the way we want to
play and it is important we keep working hard as it is coming together
really nicely at the minute.”
Images: Stephen Batey
