There will be a few folk who will look at the 4-0 scoreline of Eastern Suburbs' ASB National Women's Knockout Cup victory over Fencibles United at Madills Farm on 20 May and consider it a predictable victory. It was anything but for "The Lilywhites", thanks largely to the efforts of Hannah Wall, who didn't deserve to be on the losing team in this encounter, so colossal was her contribution to Fencibles' cause throughout proceedings. The effervescent Football Fern has had more than her fair share of bad luck with illness and injuries in recent months, and it has been tough to see this exciting young talent struggling to realise her immense potential, with setbacks befalling her seemingly at every turn. But free of those shackles on this occasion, and employed in a position where she can cause merry hell at will, Wall was simply irresistible, and the game was all the better for it. She single-handedly dominated the midfield exchanges, but only after Suburbs' opening flourish had threatened to get them off to a flying start against opponents who were missing both Abby Erceg and Rebecca Rolls from their line-up. The latter did arrive in time for the second half of a cup-tie which commenced at 11am due to the Lotto Northern Premier League men's encounter scheduled at 2.45pm, but for the opening forty-five minutes, Summer Brooke was entrusted with the gloves, and with them, the task of keeping Fencibles in the cup-tie. She was relieved to see Renee Leota's header, from a Marlies Oostdam free-kick, zoom narrowly past her right-hand post inside the first five minutes of the match, and was similarly moved in the eighth minute when Rebecca Tegg's looping header arced over both goalkeeper and crossbar, after Amanda Rasch and Melanie Gooch had combined to present Jolene Muir with the chance to cross, one she delivered precisely. Muir then fired a cross-shot across the face of goal, after Leota and Tegg had linked in attack, but after this raid Wall really got into her rhythm, and the midfield and Fencibles' attack began to dance to her tune. Chances for Suburbs dried up, their only offering in the next twenty minutes a through ball from Tegg which sent Gooch spearing through, with the gutsy Sarah Fuller in hot pursuit. The prolific markswoman let fly, but was denied by Brooke's parried save, the 'keeper recovering to save at the feet of the incoming striker as Gooch raced in in a vain attempt to turn home the rebound. Fencibles replied with two opportunities of their own which tested another stand-in 'keeper in the form of Maggie Lankshear. When dealing with crosses throughout the match, she was confidence personified, but her midfield general's natural instincts were oft to the fore when shots were heading her way. Such as Fencibles' first shot in anger, in the 22nd minute. Wall split the defence with a gem of a pass to send Tayla Hetherington charging through, but the striker's low drive was deftly controlled with her feet at her near post by Lankshear. The young front-runner was afforded another opportunity to break the deadlock on the half-hour, Wall combining with the tireless Claudia Crasborn to send Hetherington through once more. Again, Lankshear saved with her feet, but this time her touch deserted her, and she was forced to plunge at the feet of the incoming Lucy Carter, who collided with the 'keeper in the process, an injury with which Lankshear struggled throughout proceedings until withdrawn from the fray twenty minutes from time. Play was briefly held up while Lankshear received treatment for her injury, but when it resumed, she sparked a Suburbs attack which caught Fencibles off-guard. A pass from the ever-reliable Siobhan Van Heerden was pounced on by Tegg, who dashed through before thundering home a twenty-five yarder which was too hot for Brooke to handle, and left Van Heerden with her head in her hands, her error the goal's source. That 32nd minute effort was all that separated the sides at the break, although things could have been a tad different had chances at either end been executed as intended. Four minutes before the interval, Crasborn's foraging forced Oostdam into making a poor clearance, with the ball eventually falling to Wall, thirty yards out from goal. She promptly let fly, only to see her shot strike Hetherington on the shoulder and loop gracefully into the hands of Lankshear as she stood beneath her crossbar, the deflection having taken the venom out of the shot. On the stroke of half-time, Chelsey Wood's early through ball sent Tegg tearing down the left, from where she rewarded Leota's fine off-the-ball run with a measured cross. Lauren McErlean had been tracking the striker at every stride, however, and stepped in to thwart Leota in the act of shooting, ensuring Brooke's

Hannah Wall, the game's best-performed individual, shields from Rebecca Tegg Marlies Oostdam Renee Leota heads the ball on Flora McLeod, goalkeeper! Claudia Crasborn challenged by Kristy Hill Siobhan Van Heerden

save was easier than expected. The 'keeper cleared the ball downfield, and sparked a Fencibles counter-attack led by Wall. Down the right she raced in pursuit of the ball, eventually gathering it in before getting the better of Jessie Verdon and whipping in a teasing cross to the far post. Both Crasborn and Kirstyn Oldfield were unable to do justice to a top delivery. The visitors began the second half brightly, and five minutes into it referee James Ashford presented Fencibles with the chance to draw level from a free-kick, Oostdam having been harshly penalised after tangling arms and legs with Crasborn. Carter whipped over a gem of a delivery which Wall soared over all-comers to meet, the ball flying past Lankshear's left-hand post for a Suburbs goal-kick, which Oostdam swiftly walloped downfield. Leota controlled the ball and turned it into Tegg's stride, and her unerring finish past Rolls was akin to a dagger through Fencibles' heart, given they had gone close to equalising just thirty seconds earlier. Instead, they were 2-0 down, but with their season on the line, the visitors weren't going to die quietly. Indeed, they could well have had a penalty in the 56th minute, when Kristy Hill tackled Crasborn from behind in the area after the speedster had initially got the better of the stopper. Referee Ashford had a long hard look, and deemed that Hill had won the ball cleanly, despite Crasborn having gone to ground - play on. Unperturbed, Fencibles pressed again two minutes later, Rolls' raking clearance sending Hetherington hurtling through. But her tame shot was easily dealt with by Lankshear. Suburbs' next attack, in the 62nd minute, made the game safe for the home team. Verdon galloped down the left and whipped in a gem of a low cross which Fencibles' defenders left to each other to clear. It was slow motion stuff as they collectively realised that no-one was going to take responsibility for clearing the danger. And when Muir appeared on the scene, without a blue-and-red shirt in sight, the outcome was inevitable - 3-0. Still Fencibles refused to yield, Hetherington and Crasborn stinging the gloves of Lankshear inside the next five minutes before the stand-in 'keeper made way for club stalwart Flora McLeod, who has been with Suburbs since their return to the Northern League in 2003 and, by donning the gloves in this match, has now played in every position for the club. Another stalwart of Suburbs top-flight return a decade ago is Gooch, who went close to icing the cake when darting in off the left in the 74th minute. Her shot had Rolls diving at full stretch across her goal, the 'keeper relieved to see the sphere swerve past the far post. Two minutes later, another defensive lapse allowed Oostdam to find the unmarked figure of Tegg, who spurned the chance to complete the 21st hat-trick of her prolific goalscoring career by shooting straight at Rolls, who parried a Leota shot soon afterwards before recovering to save at the feet of Tegg. With eight minutes to go, one of the most bizarre own goals you could ever wish to see materialised, and it was Rolls who had the misfortune to be credited with it. McLeod sent a raking clearance downfield which Tegg controlled before playing into the stride of Gooch. Rolls raced off her line to block at the feet of the striker, the ball spinning forward before bouncing sharply and spinning back over the prone goalkeeper before bouncing agonisingly into the unguarded net beyond - 4-0. Like Wall, Crasborn had been indefatigable in spirit throughout the match, and three minutes from time she came within inches of seeing her efforts rewarded. A poor Oostdam goal-kick was pounced on by the former Junior Fern, who promptly chipped the stranded figure of McLeod from twenty-five yards, only for the ball to crash to safety off the post. Still the visitors pressed, Wall sending Sarah Williamson dashing through onto a pass which presented her with a shooting chance three minutes later. Despite the close attendance of Verdon, the substitute forced McLeod to smother her twenty-yarder. Suburbs response was led by another substitute, Nancy Campbell, who charged forward only to be thwarted by Rolls, the last act of a cup-tie in which the winners were made to work hard for their passage into the last sixteen by a Fencibles side, Wall and Crasborn particularly, which never gave up, despite what the scoreboard said. Suburbs:     Lankshear (McLeod, 71); Rasch (Campbell, 79), Hill, Oostdam, Verdon; Manak, Wood, Tegg; Muir, Leota, Gooch Fencibles:     Brooke (Rolls, 46); Fuller (Strickland, 77), Wintle, McErlean, Van Heerden; Blyde, Carter, Wall, Oldfield (Williamson, 63); Hetherington, Crasborn Referee:     James Ashford