Forrest Hill-Milford United withstood a late fightback by Hamilton Wanderers at Porritt Stadium on July 22 to prevail 4-3 and advance to the semi-finals of the NZ Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup. The initial exchanges in this quarter-final were fairly even, Ella Golding testing Emily Couchman with a sixth minute twenty-five yarder after a probing ball forward by Amy Waters was fumbled by rookie goalkeeper Holly Welsh, forcing Michaela Foster to scurry back and tidy up the loose ends as Talisha Green closed in. Welsh wasn't alone in having a case of the jitters early doors, as Couchman misjudged Maddison Ollington's through ball in the seventh minute, slicing a clearance across the bows of the fast-closing figure of Kim-E Maguire. The ball was swiftly recovered by Ollington, who tried a long-range lobbed effort which had Couchman back-pedalling frantically until she saw the sphere land on the roof of her net. Back came "The Swans", with Welsh dealing with crosses from Jane Barnett and Arabella Maynard in the next few minutes, while the former played a part in a one-two with her captain, Chloe Wilson, whose eleventh minute through ball was only just over-run by Sammi Tawharu. The number nine had a shot on the turn blocked by Foster soon afterwards, before the root of Hamilton's problems in this match - distribution by the goalkeeper - was first exposed in the fourteenth minute. Debutant Welsh, an eleventh hour stand-in for the injured Georgia Candy, found out the hard way that you have to hit the ground running at this level of the game, as any shortcomings unearthed will be ruthlessly exploited by players of international calibre, of whom United had eight of current or recent vintage in their starting line-up, and a racing certainty for a ninth when the next crop of Young Ferns is selected. Welsh's goal-kick barely got beyond the thirty yard mark, much to the delight of Barnett, whose eyes lit up like saucers at this unexpected gift. She wasn't able to take full advantage, however, for her first-time strike was well smothered by the fast-recovering fifteen-year-old. United instantly had the scent of blood in their nostrils, and wasted little time in moving in for the kill. Malia Steinmetz combined with Maynard on the left, who sent a shot sizzling past Welsh's near post on the quarter-hour. Then Aneka Mittendorff's long throw-in invited Tawharu to neatly control the ball in the penalty area before unleashing a shot on the turn. Chelsea Elliott blocked this, but at the expense of a corner, from which the visitors opened the scoring. Jane Barnett's delivery was punched out by Welsh, and helped on by Emma Cawte as far as Rose Luxton. She steered the sphere into the stride of Wilson, charging forth from deep, momentum which she poured into a thunderous twenty-five yard drive which stormed past all-comers en route to the back of the net - pick that one out! Rarely has a goalscorer been more delighted! Goals are rare birds for this particular "Swan", and Wilson's joy at this seventeenth minute effort was unconfined - she was swiftly engulfed by her colleagues, who were celebrating again two minutes later. Cawte and Steinmetz engaged in a terrific tussle in midfield from which the Football Fern emerged with possession. She instantly fed Tawharu, who looked up to see Welsh off her line, and duly executed the perfect thirty yard chip - just out of the 'keeper's reach, and just under the bar. 2-0 very quickly became 2-1, as Hamilton quickly dragged themselves back into the contest. A collision half-way inside United's half was deemed worthy of a free-kick for the home team by referee Nadia Browning, and Elliott delivered a peach of a ball which Shae Brady met with a glancing header to guide it into the bottom far corner of the net - game on! Couchman endured another case of the jitters three minutes later, following a Foster corner which was cleared back to her. The fullback - one of four players on the park heading to France on Junior Ferns duty before the week is out - drilled in a low cross which the goalkeeper fumbled, straight to Mittendorff, who spared her team-mate's blushes with a hefty wallop downfield. It wasn't long before "The Swans" were on attack again, and after Green had stung the gloves of Welsh with a snapshot, another weak clearance by the goalkeeper was mercilessly punished by the women in black. Maynard latched onto the gift no more than thirty yards from goal and instantly fed Tawharu, who hesitated not in dispatching the ball back from whence it came, with interest - the far corner of the net bulged with eleven minutes to go until half-time.

Quite why Hamilton were doing nothing to relieve Welsh of her distribution issues defied logic. Elliott was taking some of the ground-based goal-kicks by this time - not all, mind, while Welsh was akin to a Christian being fed to the lions when it came to clearances out of her hands. Surely there should have been an instruction given to Welsh to throw or roll the ball to the nearest blue shirt and build play from the back! Persisting with the status quo merely invited United to set up camp around thirty yards from goal each time the young debutant had the ball in hand and wait for the next gift to come their way … The problem persisted, and so did United's pot-shots. Barnett hit the post with a twenty-five yarder five minutes after the goal, Maynard, Tawharu and Steinmetz having combined to create the opening, while from the resulting goal-kick, Barnett invited Steinmetz to dribble through three challenges before letting fly. Welsh kept out this effort, and looked on with relief three minutes before half-time as Luxton - what a prospect this lass is! - lashed a first-time twenty-five yard volley a yard over the bar after Mittendorff's long throw-in was headed out by Kate Williams. The final act of the half saw Grace Cox's teasing angled cross curl tantalisingly across the bows of both Brady and Golding, while the latter featured in the first attack of the second spell, from which the home team reduced the deficit 81 seconds after play had resumed. Cawte - a midfielder with potential who will have learned much from her head-to-head duels with Steinmetz in this match - ignited the raid after winning the ball on half-way and releasing Golding down the left. She delivered an angled cross which United's defenders left for Couchman to deal with, only she failed to do so, instead looking on with horror as Maguire, her striker's instincts bristling with anticipation, swooped on the scene and wasted little time in punishing the 'keeper's error - 3-2. This time, it took United just seven minutes to restore their two-goal lead, and you somehow felt that this break would be decisive. Maynard motored down the right before picking out half-time substitute Hannah Reddy, who in turn fed Barnett racing up outside her. Spotting Welsh off her line once more, the Future Ferns Development Programme contender uncorked a gem of a curling twenty-five yard chip which arced perfectly into the top far corner of the net - a stylish way in which to score your 150th goal in New Zealand club football. A brave block at the feet of the flying figure of Green by Welsh soon afterwards thwarted what was looking like being a fifth United goal, while the Hamilton 'keeper greedily grabbed a Reddy effort on the hour, after Mittendorff had picked out the replacement with a ball out of defence. It was Lotto ticket time for Welsh in the 63rd minute! A woeful clearance by the 'keeper gifted possession straight to Green, whose shot on sight sailed over the top of an open goal - this should have been the visitors' fifth goal of the game, no question. With their French commitments in mind, Steinmetz and Mittendorff joined half-time departure Tawharu on the sideline as the half wore on, and their respective exits invited Hamilton to press again in search of a late comeback. Not before Milly McWhirter combined with Barnett on the left for Maynard's benefit. Welsh grabbed her shot, and was largely a spectator for the final ten-odd minutes of play as her team-mates finished strongly. They gained some reward for their endeavours in the 89th minute. Foster's corner was headed out by Wilson, but the corner-taker retrieved the ball and delivered a low cross into the goalmouth, just across the bows of Brady. Golding and substitute Grace Wisnewski - she added some genuine dynamism to Hamilton's midfield, to the extent that things might have panned out differently had she started - combined to get the ball back into the danger zone, where Brady was on hand to swoop to conquer, her stooping close-range header offering the home team late hope. United held their nerve, however, and advanced to their third semi-final in five years thanks to this 4-3 victory, a win which sets up a clash with either Eastern Suburbs or cup holders Glenfield Rovers on the final weekend in August - a tie not to be missed! Hamilton:     Welsh; Cox, Elliott, Williams, Foster; Ollington (Wisnewski, 58), Cawte (Power 75), Talbot, Golding (Goodwin, 68); Maguire, Brady FHMU:     Couchman; Wilson, Mackay-Wright, Mittendorff (Flynn, 75), Waters; Barnett, Luxton, Steinmetz (McWhirter, 68); Green, Tawharu (Reddy, 46), Green Referee:     Nadia Browning