Women's Report | Sensational second half sends Cards through in Capital Cup

Welling United Women 2-5 Woking FC Women
Capital Women's Cup Second Round
19th November 2023


A second-half comeback from Woking saw them progress into the Third Round of the Capital Women’s Cup. Goals from Gracie Price, Helen Ogle, Sheena Nichol and a brace from Trudy Bryan-Kerr helped convert a two-goal deficit at half time into a dramatic late win.

It took a while for the first real chance of the game to fall to either team but eventually, ten minutes into the game, Welling had that opportunity and would have been disappointed not to have scored after they smashed the underside of the crossbar from just a few yards out.

Just five minutes later though, they made their second chance count and took the lead when a powerful shot from just inside the box beat Amy Jenkins in goal. The hosts didn’t stop there either as straight away from the restart, they won possession back and made it two after squaring the ball across goal for the striker to tap in. Fran Cotter was clearly barged off the ball in the build-up to the second goal, but the referee waived the claim away and within the space of a minute, the Cards found themselves two goals behind, just under 20 minutes into the game.

It took 21 minutes for Woking to register their first major attack on goal as Efrosyni Theocharous managed to get a shot off in a tight area, but the ball went over the crossbar.

Sheena was next to have an effort and this time tested the goalkeeper with a low-driven shot, but it was pushed away from danger.

Woking continued to find more space in the final third towards the end of the half but wasn’t able to finish off any of their chances, the first of two major threats coming from Sheena working her way into the box well and finding Trudy, but the former's effort went wide and then Bianca Underhill finding Helen with a great cross, but the number seven headed just wide.

HT: Welling United 2-0 Woking

Anthony Rosenberg-Murray made three changes at the break, replacing Sian Hardaker, Sophie Burgess and Bianca for Kaitlin Howard, Amy Richards and Gracie. It only took two minutes into the second half for the visitor's first chance as Kaitlin did well down the right-hand side but was desperately unlucky to see her eventual shot rattle against the post.

It was all Woking, with Amy.J not having much work to do in the second 45 minutes, but yet the away side couldn’t find a way to break Welling’s defence. On the occasion where they did, Helen could only find the side netting after going on a great solo run down the left-hand side.

But on the stroke of an hour, the Cards pulled a goal back thanks to substitute Gracie after she got on the end of a scrappy clearance in the box to tap home and get her team back into the game. It was the young 16-year-old's first goal of the season.

In the 72nd minute, Helen Brown came on to make her debut for the club, replacing Laura Mitchell in defence.

Directly from that substitution, a throw-in down the right was intercepted by Sheena who then only took a handful of touches before playing a beautiful pass in behind the Welling defence to Helen.O who chopped back onto her right foot and fired the ball into the bottom left-hand corner. That’s now nine goals in nine games for her.

The confidence these two goals had given the team had clearly shown and it was nearly three when the team countered well and created a shooting opportunity, but Gaby Hobday’s effort was well saved by the ‘keeper.

With the clock ticking down, it did at one point look as though the game would be going to penalty kicks, but that was before what can only be described as a dominant eight-minute period.

In the 90th minute, a fantastic, floated corner from Gaby found the head of Sheena who nodded the ball home to send the team and everyone on the sidelines into jubilation. It had seemed at that point that she had won the game there and then for her side, but two more goals followed in injury time.

The first of the two came from a brilliant run down the left-hand side from Helen.O finding Gaby whose first-time pass was into the feet of Trudy to tap home in a well-made team goal. The second was then a little less magnificent to the eye as Trudy’s shot towards goal took a deflection and the bounce caught the defenders off guard before an attempted clearance was actually kicked into the back of the net. With the initial shot being on target, Trudy ran away in celebration and claimed her second goal in the space of three minutes.

FT: Welling United 2-5 Woking

The never-say-die attitude of the team to go from two goals down at the break, then get back on level terms and not settle for penalties and then not sit on a one-goal lead either, is quite simply a huge credit to these players. At no point did they look to give up and played the game to the very last whistle.

That’s now seven games unbeaten in all competitions and a place in the next round of the Capital Cup. Attention will now turn to next Sunday’s Southern Region Women’s Football League Division One South fixture against Rushmoor Community, away from home.



Woking Starting XI: Jenkins, Burgess (46), Cotter ©, Mitchell (72) (90+6), Underhill (46), Theocharous, Nichol, Hardaker (46), Hobday (90+6), Ogle, Bryan-Kerr

Subs: Howard (46), Richards (46), Price (46), Brown (72)

Attendance: 19

Player of the Match: Amy Richards