Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup holders Lynn-Avon United were given a good old-fashioned hurry-up by Eastern Suburbs in their second round tie at Eastdale Road on June 20, the home team squeezing home 1-0 over opponents whose performance merited the chance of extra time at least. Too many players in red shirts chose this game to perform well below their own lofty standards, and coupled with Suburbs raising their own level of play, the scent of an upset was in the wind, with the visitors taking the game to their higher-ranked rivals early on. The first twenty minutes of play saw Suburbs shading the affair, with Ashleigh Cox forced to clear off the toes of a charging Rebecca Tegg in the eighth minute, while a slip by Terry McCahill let the goal-hungry Suburbs striker in eight minutes later. Cox proved equal to the task with a solid smothering save. In the twentieth minute, Kirsty Yallop was dispossessed by Tarena O’Neill, who played the ball through for Tegg. She rounded Cox, but was thwarted by the covering challenge of McCahill. Things might have been interesting had the striker gone down under the defender’s pressure, however, as it certainly bordered on that fine line between foul and fair. Referee Nick Waldron signalled play on, as Lynn-Avon began to wake up to the fact that they were in a cup tie against opponents who weren’t going to roll over easily. Fifteen-year-old Ria Percival, making her first start after a handful of substitute appearances for the cup holders, took charge of the situation immediately following that let-off, and sent the ball up the line for Amber Hearn to pursue. Aided by the untimely stumbles of both Deb Gerrard and Janet Groves on the slippery surface, the striker managed to get in between her opponents and fire in a cross-shot which zoomed across the face of Ginny Tan’s goal in the 21st minute. Suburbs were forcing Lynn-Avon to shoot from distance, but the holders were gradually getting into the match, Hearn leading the way in a “lone ranger” role up front. Her pressure on Gerrard in the 27th minute forced an error, but the defender recovered the situation well by thwarting Percival as she looked to capitalise on the opportunity. Four minutes later, the youngster made the most of a Suburbs error to put Lynn-Avon in front, albeit a little against the run of play to that point. Tan’s poor goal-kick was swept wide by Hearn to Percival, who showed tremendous composure for one so young by calmly chipping the recovering ‘keeper to open the scoring - a soft goal to concede from Suburbs’ viewpoint, not that Lynn-Avon’s “baby-faced assassin” was complaining, as she celebrated what proved to be the match-winning strike. The goal was the confidence boost United needed, and they looked a far more settled combination as a result of it, although few will dispute that Suburbs’ stronger start to proceedings left them rattled. The visitors had risen well to the challenge, with Vicki Chong, Groves and Kimberley Lewis in particular performing solidly, a feat matched by Melissa Ray, Rachel Doody and Yallop, whose influence on the game was growing after a sluggish start. As in the first half, Suburbs enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges of the second spell. Doody thwarted Tegg after Grace Vincent and Melanie Gooch had teamed up down the right, while Gooch’s 49th minute chip, after she had bettered Doody in a dogged pursuit of an opening, was grabbed by the back-pedalling Cox. United’s response was led by Yallop. Releasing Percival down the right, she checked her run while her young team-mate made a bee-line for the by-line, evading a challenge en route. Percival’s pull-back found Yallop arriving bang on cue, and her cross-shot fizzed across the face of goal. While Suburbs had solid penalty claims in the first

half, these were matched on the hour as Lynn-Avon were thwarted by two pairs of hands! Dana Heiford’s corner was cleared to Hearn, who acrobatically hooked the ball across to the lurking Ray. After controlling the ball, the defender let fly with a fierce drive straight at Chong’s face. The midfielder flung her hands up instinctively to protect herself, the ball ricocheting off them towards goal. Tan was already diving to thwart the initial effort, and somehow produced a great save to tip the goalbound ball onto the bar. As play continued, Suburbs were conscious that they were one goal away from taking the cup holders to extra-time, and went about pursuing it. Vincent and O’Neill combined to release substitute Flora McLeod down the left, the experience of the former Lynn-Avon player allowing her to get the better of Percival. But Cox was wise to her intentions, and cut out the cross - United’s ‘keeper was rarely troubled, but what she did was done very well indeed. After Yallop had gone close upon juggling her way through Suburbs defence just inside the penalty area, a Heiford corner nine minutes from time was cleared to generally subdued Hayley Moorwood. But her low twenty-five yard drive through the crowd had Tan scrambling, the ‘keeper getting down well to save at the second attempt. The sad sight of Tegg being carried from the field in considerable pain eight minutes from time - the source of her despair was a decent-sized gash down her shin - was followed six minutes later by one of the most bizarre sights this writer has seen in eighteen years of watching the women’s game. Play was stopped while a local resident, resplendent in her Sunday best, arrogantly strutted across the pitch, seemingly completely oblivious to, and showing no respect for, the fact that there were far more important and significant things than her stroll home from Sunday service going on at that moment - specifically the pursuit of a place in the next round of the Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup!! With Lady Puddleduck having finally waddled off on her ignorant way, play resumed, with Suburbs’ attempts to conjure a late equaliser all too often foundering on McCahill, whose reading of the game and timely interventions meant the visitors’ efforts were ultimately in vain. At the other end, however, they could easily have conceded a second goal. Heiford chose to be ponderous with both Yallop and Moorwood charging forward on her left, the substitute instead waiting for Percival to loom up on her right. McLeod’s stumble helped the youngster’s cause, with her cross to Hearn seeing the striker turn and shoot across the face of goal. Hearn then slalomed through three challenges before crossing for Moorwood, whose lay-back for Heiford presented the replacement with a shooting chance. Tan smothered this, and thwarted Moorwood seconds later, after Yallop had charged at the back-pedalling Suburbs defence before playing the ball wide for Hearn. Tan grabbed the cross intended for Moorwood at the second attempt, and launched the ball upfield, with the match now deep into stoppage time. Lynda Hemming, Tegg’s replacement, got the better of Percival wide on the left and fired in a cross for fellow substitute Kiriana Wilson. But Cox came off her line to grab the ball, and seconds later, Suburbs’ hopes of a cup upset were over, much to Lynn-Avon’s undisguised relief. United: Cox; Doody, McCahill, Ray, Carlisle; Percival, Yallop, Rainbow, Moorwood; Hearn, Parkinson (Heiford, 38) Suburbs: Tan; Moore, Lewis, Groves, Gerrard; Vincent, Chong (Wilson, 89), O’Neill, Fraser (McLeod, 56); Tegg (Hemming, 82), Gooch Referee: Nick Waldron