Guiseley Vixens 7 – 1 Nettleham Ladies
Two goals from Liv DaCosta, and others from Olivia Thackray, Liz White, Ellie Hall, Sarah Danby and Natalie Brace were more than enough to leapfrog over the visitors into the hat for the draw for the First Round proper of the Women’s FA Cup.
Nettleham managed to bag their consolation goal when Holly Newham tried her luck from outside the box. The resulting shot went past ‘keeper Beth Seasman to make it 2-1 at the time.
Vixen debuts were made by Caitlin Gunnel and Stacey Haytack, who managed to keep a clean sheet after coming off the bench.
The Vixens started in a ruthless mood, opening the scoring after just 47 seconds when DaCosta headed in from a corner. She then added another just ten minutes later, again coming from a corner.
Nettleham pulled one back when a questionable free-kick was given in the Vixens’ half. The resulting play saw Newham strike one from distance and the ball went past the ‘keeper.
The Vixens weren’t deterred, notching another goal on the stroke of half-time.
Thackray had a shot which was saved smartly by the goalkeeper but she reacted first to slot the rebound in.
The second-half was more of the same for the home side and Danby’s 60th minute corner saw White put the ball in the back of the net for her fourth goal in five games.
Three minutes later Chantelle O’Hara played a smart ball down the wing to Natalie Brace who played it across the box to Ellie Hall who slotted it past the ‘keeper to make it 5-1.
Sarah Danby scored the sixth, slotting the ball through a defender’s legs before putting her laces through the ball to guide it into the bottom corner which more than wrapped up the game.
Three minutes from time Brace put the final nail in the coffin. A superb solo run saw her glide through the defence and ‘keeper and slot the ball into an empty net.
Joint manager Kyle O’Reilly commenting on the game said: “Overall I’m chuffed with the game. It was a straightforward win with no injuries and a great opportunity to introduce some of the youngsters who’ve been training and playing well in the development squad and they did well, handling their nerves well and they contributed to a professional performance.”
He added: “Personally it’s nice to qualify for the FA Cup First Round Proper. For me it’s my first time managing and coaching in the competition so it’s all new and exciting. Ideally we want a winnable game, as does everybody, but the priority is the league so a game that doesn’t offer too big of a distraction or cause a risk of injuries would be ideal.”
*UPDATE*
The Vixens have been drawn against Nottingham Forest Ladies at home in the first round of the SSE FA Cup with the game being played on December 4th.
Attendance: 45
Words by Oliver Coultas
Photo: Alex Daniel
