Basingstoke Town Women v Weymouth Women

Recap

Basingstoke Town 2
25’ 59’
Weymouth 4
Thornicroft 39’ 65’ Webb 74’ Wilson P 90+4’
Women’s FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round (10/09/23)
Thorn In The Side
Weymouth’s Women had to battle back from behind twice to see off a spirited Basingstoke Town side to book their place in the 2nd qualifying round of the FA Cup, and they were thankful for a brace from debutant Kaydee Thornicroft.
The Terras were without Bianca Randall who was unavailable due to illness, and Annie Redding started on the bench after completing a gruelling charity challenge the previous day. They were replaced in the starting XI by Thornicroft, and also making her Terras debut – Brooke Harding.
After a cagey first 10 minutes, Weymouth had the games first chance in rather bizarre circumstances. The ball was slipped through the defence and Zara Hunt was flagged offside, but she didn’t interfere, and Ellia Webb ran onto the ball. She stopped for a couple of seconds, seemingly believing herself to be offside, before realising the situation and playing on. She was one on one with the keeper but her shot struck the post and was cleared to safety.
On 13 minutes, Thornicroft came close when she got on the end of Harding’s pull back, but under pressure from a defender, she could only fire over the bar.
Just 2 minutes later, a Thornicroft corner was flicked on at the near post by Webb. Both Harding and Hunt swung a leg at it but couldn’t connect.
Having survived an early spell of pressure, Basingstoke began to grow into the game, and they had their first effort on the Weymouth goal on 19 minutes, but a long range shot was comfortably held by Marquis.
There were then further chances at both ends. First for Weymouth, as Harding was played in but saw her effort well saved by the home goalkeeper. Basingstoke then countered and Marquis had to be alert to claw away a shot along the ground.
On 25 minutes, the first goal arrived, and it was for the Hampshire league side. The Terras will be disappointed with the manner of the goal, as a long ball forwards caused a mix up between defence and goalkeeper. Marquis came out to try to claim it but collided with Potter, and the ball fell kindly for Basingstoke’s striker who couldn’t believe her luck, and rolled the ball into the empty net to. The cupset was on!
The home side held the lead until the 39th minute, when the Terras hauled themselves level in rather chaotic fashion.
Harding had a shot saved by the keeper, and there then followed the most almighty of scrambles in the 6 yard box. Hunt, Harding, Thornicroft and Webb all had efforts saved or blocked on the line, before Thornicroft finally managed to rifle the ball through the crowd of bodies to make it 1-1.
The young debutant had 2 great chances to give her side the lead before the break – first knocking the ball around the keeper and but failing to keep it in play, and then seeing a one v one effort inadvertently saved by the home goalkeeper’s face, as the sides went in level at the break.
Weymouth would have been hoping to keep up their momentum at the start of the second half, but instead it was Basingstoke who came out stronger. On 51 minutes they saw a shot strike the post and bounce away to safety, but by the hour mark, they had their lead back.
Weymouth were caught out trying to play out from the back, as Standen was pressured into losing possession on the edge of the box, and Basingstoke’s striker took full advantage – lashing the ball into the net to make it 2-1.
Basingstoke were on top and were sensing an upset. On 64 minutes the woodwork was struck for the third time in the game, as a Basingstoke free kick from the edge of the box was curled over the wall and struck the bar.
But that would prove to be a pivotal moment in the tie, as the Terras went straight down the other end and pulled themselves off the canvas again. Kaydee was the thorn in Basingstoke’s side yet again, as she ran onto Hunt’s through ball and made no mistake – finding the net to make it 2-2.
The next 10 minutes became scrappy with a number of stoppages in play for players to receive treatment, but with a quarter of an hour remaining, Weymouth took the lead for the first time in the tie.
Lucy Roberts’ corner was flicked in at the front post by Wilson, and Ellia Webb was lurking at the back post to head home.
Weymouth’s superior fitness would tell in the final 10 minutes, as they created numerous chances to wrap the game up.
On 81 minutes Thornicroft worked her way to the byline and pulled it back across the face of goal, but Hunt wasn’t able to stretch far enough to get a toe on the ball to prod it home.
Thornicroft thought she had a debut hat-trick on 86 minutes when she had the ball in the net again but she was denied by an offside flag.
As the clock ticked into added time, Basingstoke threw bodies forwards and were nearly caught on the counter as Hunt beat the offside trap and ran half the length of the pitch, but unbelievably, for the fourth time in the game, the post was struck.
But it mattered not, as in the 94th minute, Weymouth were awarded a spot kick for a handball. Skipper Charlie Wilson kept her cool, sending the keeper the wrong way to seal the tie for Weymouth with virtually the last kick of the match.
It was far from an easy game for the Terras but they hung in there and found a way to get over the line, and set up a trip to Sherborne Town in the next round.
Weymouth’s development team were also in action and they picked up their first point of the season, and kept a clean sheet in a hard fought goalless draw at home to Longham.

Terras First Team starting XI: Marquis, Potter, Standen (Ellis 75’), Clark, Thornicroft, Wilson (C), Roberts, Webb, Sapsford (Redding 88’), Harding (Perry 53’). Subs: Ellis, Perry, Redding
First team player of the match: Charlie Wilson
Development Team player of the match: Chloe Le page