Match Report | Port Vale FC Women 3-2 Redditch Borough Ladies

Sian McHugh, Rosie Tomkinson and Tara Harrison are all on the scoresheet at Vale Park as the Valiants are through to the FA Cup third round qualifiers.

The contest started with a goal after 41 seconds as captain Sian McHugh fired the Valiants into the lead with her shot from outside of the penalty area flew into the top right-hand corner of the goal.

The lead was doubled just four minutes later when Mollie Prime’s floated corner was not dealt with by the Redditch defence and fell to Rosie Tomkinson to tap it home.

Redditch almost pulled a goal back for themselves in the 10th minute as a shot from 30 yards out from a Redditch midfielder struck the crossbar and rebounded to another Redditch player who could only find the gloves of Connie Watts.

Redditch did get a goal back, in the 16th minute, after Redditch’s Katie Potter latched onto the through ball and rounded the oncoming Watts where she had only the empty net to find.

Elissa Dockerty almost revived The Valliant’s two-goal advantage when she followed up on a poor back pass to the Redditch keeper sliding in for the ball which floated up in the air hitting the crossbar.

The Vale were nearly punished in the 27th minute when they were unable to clear a cross which fell to a Redditch player inside the 18-yard box, but their first-time shot was wide of the post.

A chance to get Vale’s third came in the 38th minute when Prime’s low-driven cross from the right-hand side found Tara Harrison on the edge of the box with her effort being tipped onto the bar.

Disaster struck just before the end of the half when the free kick by Redditch’s Leanne Foyle proved too powerful for Watts and drew Redditch level going into half time.

The first ten minutes of the second half started off slow as both teams were unable to test each other's goalkeepers.

However, in the 56th minute there was a breakthrough from the Valiants after some fluid pass and move football down the right flank, Prime crossed into Harrison on the edge of the box who turned and fired the Vale in front again rooting the keeper as she found the bottom right-hand corner.

There was an opportunity four minutes later to put the Vale back in front by two goals as McHugh weaved through the middle of the park avoiding the challenges of two Redditch players, but her shot at the end of her dribble soared just over the bar.

A short free kick in the 67th minute, whilst Redditch were still setting up, could have been Vale’s fourth when Sophie Garratt tried her luck from the corner of the 18-yard box forcing a save from the keeper.

A penalty claim, in the 74th, from the Redditch bench was given by the referee when Jess Smith was deemed to have brought down the Redditch forward illegally in the box, but they were unable to convert as the penalty was blasted high over the bar keeping the Valiants ahead.

Dockerty could have sealed the tie as her touch on the edge of the box managed to get past the defender as she burst through on goal, but the keeper was equal to it.

There were goalkeeping heroics in stoppage time as a Redditch player’s lofted shot aimed for the far-right corner of the Vale goal was pushed behind for a Redditch corner by Watts.

The full-time whistle ended the game and saw the Valiants into the FA Cup third-round qualifiers for the first time in their history. 

Port Vale | Connie Watts, Cassie Davies, Jess Smith, Daisy Anderson-Wright, Rosie Tomkinson (84’ Freya Jackson), Sian McHugh, Mollie Prime, Sophie Garratt, Macy Isherwood, Tara Harrison (66’ Olivia Grocott), Elissa Dockerty. 

Unused Subs: Ellie Walchester, Amelia Whitehouse, Lucy Moss, Paige Taylor, Anna O’Leary