Sunderland Ladies cruised through to the Quarter Final of the Women’s FA Cup with a powerful and comprehensive performance at The Hetton Centre on Sunday.
They brushed aside Barnet Ladies, who are among the leading pack in the Women’s Premier League Southern Division, with a 5-0 score line that could so easily have reached double figures. Sunderland started strongly and showed their intentions from the off as Demi Stokes and Sophie Williams went close inside 2 minutes. Moments later Lucy Staniforth played in Natalie Gutteridge whose shot was beaten out for Kelly McDougall to strike just over the bar. Further efforts by Williams and Gutteridge followed before the home side took the lead on 15 minutes. Staniforth, Gutteridge and Abby Holmes linked well on the right for McDougall to take the ball on and place her shot wide of Barnet keeper Cherie Rowlands and into the bottom corner.
Sunderland continued to push forward with Gutteridge and Williams just off target. Then a Lucy Bronze effort grazed the bar following
a right wing corner from Staniforth. Holmes broke up a rare Barnet attack and went on a mazy run forward before setting up Williams
who beat keeper Rowlands but saw her shot roll agonisingly wide. Yet another home corner resulted in a Steph Bannon volley being hooked
off the line by Hall and then right on half time great link up play between Holmes, Staniforth and Jordan Nobbs saw a Gutteridge shot
clear the bar. HT... Sunderland Ladies 1 vs 0 Barnet Ladies
The visitors had their first chance of the match
when Stacey Sowden capitalised on a defensive slip to run clear on goal but keeper Helen Alderson narrowed the angle well and she
could only shoot wide. The Wearsiders increased their lead after 53 minutes when Williams robbed Smith on the left wing to cross for
Gutteridge to power home a well directed header. Sunderland made the game safe just four minutes later with a great piece of opportunism
from Williams. As she chased the ball down the right wing, goalkeeper Rowlands came out to close her down. Williams calmly beat the
keeper to the ball and from an almost impossible angle cheekily curled the ball into the empty net. Just after the hour mark Barnet
almost pulled a goal back when Nobbs headed off the line following a corner on the left. Another Barnet corner was brought clear by
Vicky Greenwell who sent Williams clear to cross for Nobbs who cleverly set up Staniforth but her shot was beaten out by Rowlands.
Visiting keeper Rowlands made a great double save in the 66th minute as Williams and McDougall were denied. A Greenwell free kick
caused panic in the Barnet defence as Gutteridge and Williams saw efforts blocked. Sunderland continued to search for more goals as
McDougall and Gutteridge went close before Bannon did well to win the ball back on the edge of the box but saw her shot come back
off the bar with Nicola Devine’s follow up going narrowly wide. The home side did increase their lead on 80 minutes when Williams
broke down the left to cross for a Sarah Danby header to be cleared off the line but the ball broke to Nobbs who drove the ball into
the net from the edge of the box. Danby and Steph O’Brien went close before the fifth goal arrived on 86 minutes. Greenwell worked
Danby into a great position to cross for O’Brien’s shot to be saved by Rowlands but Devine followed up to slot home the rebound. FT... Sunderland Ladies 5 vs 0 Barnet Ladies
Manager Mick Mulhern was delighted after the game...”I thought we
were fantastic all over the pitch today. Barnet came up here with the reputation of being arguably the best team in the Southern Premier
League. We prepared appropriately and rose to the challenge. We are now two games away from the FA Cup Final and if we get a favourable
draw, who knows what can happen.”
Sunderland...Alderson, Holmes, Bronze, Bannon, Greenwell, Staniforth, Nobbs, McDougall, Stokes(Devine),
Gutteridge(Danby), Williams(O’Brien). Subs (not used)..Laws, S.Wilson, Clark.
