Barnsley FC Ladies made it to the final four of the Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA Cup after a 2-1 victory over Sheffield FC Ladies, a team from the league above.
In a game where one half had all the goals, it was Barnsley who started the brighter of the two teams. Within five minutes, the Reds hit the crossbar after Becks Hornsey connected on the end of a Sophie Crosby delivery.
However, the deadlock was broken soon after. Drew Greene chased and snatched the ball from the Sheffield defence on the goal line. She played it back to Sophie Bell, who, after being too strong for her counterpart, squared to Danielle Whitham who struck the ball into the corner from 15 yards.
One soon became two as just three minutes later, Lissa Woodhouse latched onto a loose Sheffield throw in. She ran across the face of the penalty area before feeding Darcie Greene through the middle. Greene’s first effort was well saved by ‘keeper Hobson, but she finished the rebound superbly on the volley from a tight angle.
Barnsley Ladies didn’t make it easy for themselves though. Five minutes before the break, a back pass from Lucy Turner was misjudged by Reds’ ‘keeper Skye Kirkham, and the ball went under her foot and trickled into an empty net.
The Reds had great chances to extend their lead in the second half with opportunities for Danielle Whitham, Lissa Woodhouse and Amy Woodruff all going by the wayside. But some stellar defending from Annie Ward and Co. ensured the score-line stayed in Barnsley’s favour.
Reds’ manager Chris Hamilton felt it was a 'comfortable' performance against higher league opponents. He said: “It was a great performance. At times, we let them back in the game, but overall, we were really good today.
“Both of Danielle and Darcie’s finishes were excellent. They’ve probably scored their harder chances of the game, but they were both great goals.”
