Notts County Ladies have made history by reaching their first ever FA Cup final. The Lady Pies will take on WSL 1 rivals Chelsea on Saturday at Wembley Stadium in front of an expected 24,000 fans.
It’s the first time in the competition’s history that the final will take place at the iconic national stadium, giving the players even more to play for.
Here, we look at how Notts County made it to the final.
5th Round
4-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Teams from WSL 1 are first entered into the draw at the 5th round stage. County were drawn at home against third tier side Tottenham Hotspur. The contest was County’s first competitive game of the season.
Notts named a number of debutants for the tie but eventually made light work of the WPL side. Ellen White, featuring in her first competitive match after a long injury lay-off, muscled a Tottenham defender off the ball before teeing up Sophie Walton for the opening goal on 16 minutes.
County dominated for the majority of the opening half with White looking especially lively up front. White didn’t have to wait long for her first goal in a County shirt, just a minute into the second half the England striker smashed home for her debut goal.
Alex Greenwood almost scored a spectacular third, the full back with a stinging 35-yard strike that cannoned off the bar. Fiona O’Sullivan added two late goals to round off the scoring for the Lady Pies as they progressed comfortably into the last 8.
Quarter Finals
5-1 Aston Villa
For their quarterfinal clash, Notts County had to overcome WSL 2 side Aston Villa. In front of an expectant crowd at Meadow Lane, the Lady Pies eased through to the last four with a five star performance.
The prolific Ellen White opened the scoring just before half time with an instinctive finish over the helpless Villa keeper. In the second half the WSL 1 side put the game to bed.
Greenwood struck a 30 yard free kick against the upright, but captain Laura Bassett was on hand to turn in the rebound. Villa were then reduced to 10 players after Emily Owen collected her second booking of the game.
Aileen Whelan added the third not long after, stretching to reach Sophie Walton’s ball through. Dunia Susi scored a fourth for the hosts with 20 minutes left, before Kerri Walsh responded with a consolation goal. Susi then rounded off the scoring with her second on 85 minutes.
Semi final
3-0 Everton
With a place in the final at Wembley at stake, it’s no surprise that the first half of the FA Cup semi final against Everton was a tight, cagey affair. The match was played at Goodison Park, but the Lady Pies were cheered on by a large contingent wearing the famous black and white.
County took the initiative straight after the break. Alex Greenwood’s hard work on the wing paid off as she delivered a perfectly timed cross which was met by Jess Clarke, who nodded the ball into the bottom corner.
Former Evertonian Greenwood was again the assist maker just ten minutes later. Her pinpoint free kick caused chaos in the blue’s defence and Ellen White was on hand to head in, doubling the lead.
County never looked like giving up their lead and with 10 minutes remaining made sure of their spot in the final. Dan Buet striking a 35 yard free kick past the stranded Megan Walsh in the Everton goal.
