BLACKBURN ROVERS COME FROM BEHIND TO LIFT THE LEAGUE CUP

BLACKBURN ROVERS LADIES FC 3 LEICESTER CITY WOMEN FC 1
FAWPL CUP FINAL @ THE PROACT CHESTERFIELD FC
29 APRIL 2018 --- 2PM

BLACKBURN ROVERS FAWPL CUP WINNERS 2017/18

Blackburn Rovers came from behind to secure victory in the FAWPL Cup Final at The Proact home of Chesterfield FC after Sophie Domingo had given the East Midlands side the lead before Lynda Shepherd equalised from the penalty spot and in the second half a dominant Rovers added to their tally through Ellie Cook and Saffron Jordan.

HOME OF CHESTERFIELD FC

Following the loss of Notts County Ladies Fc the blog has not had the chance to take in any ladies football and so with this opportunity on the doorstep it was one not to be resisted and what a bonus it turned out to be in a game full of skill, endeavour and slick movement both sides put on an excellent show for the final.  Having dashed along from a local Sunday League game it was a relief to arrive around 1.15pm to take in some of the atmosphere and excitement that cleared encompassed both sets of supporters.

LEICESTER SUPPORTERS ENTHUSIASM WAS CEETAINLY NOT FLAGGING

There was a moment to take a quick picture of experienced Derbyshire FA based official Amy Fearn who was in charge this afternoon and following the finishing of a hot beverage it was time for the teams to come out for the presentation and respect handshakes.

AMY FEARN LINES UP HER TEAM WITH TODAYS CAPTAINS

Chesterfield Fc are becoming well versed at staging these prestigious games with England matches and now the Women's cup final hopefully this will remain following the clubs sad demise to the 'non league' because their facilities and ability to stage these events are well noted.

SOPHIE DOMINGO LEICESTER CITY

Blackburn having been drawn the home dressing room were resplendent in their familiar original kit with Leicester in their away kit of all red and from the off The Foxes were at Rovers with a real determination about them and the early stages which provided their lead saw notable contributions from Paige Stewart in midfield who distributed the ball short and long with tremendous accuracy and the pace and skill of goal scorer Sophie Domingo made for an exciting start.

DOMINGO [SECOND IN FROM LEFT] IS CONGRATULATED ON HER OPENING GOAL

To this effect it was Leicester who took the lead when Blackburn failed to clear their lines fully and as the ball fell away to Domingo she lashed the ball home, courtesy of a slight deflection, to give The Foxes the lead.  In fairness Blackburn struck the bar and had a goal disallowed in the half but it should have been 2-0 to Leicester when Nat Johnson rounded Danielle Hill in the Blackburn goal only to fire wide of the target.

EARLY LEICESTER PRESSURE IS CLEARED

With tremendous credit Blackburn could have been out of it but how they fought back and when Jordan felt a nudge in the back she went over for a penalty which Shepherd calmly tucked away into the bottom left corner of the net on 32 minutes.

ROVERS TURN TO ATTACK

The second period started tentatively but with both sides testing one another out but slowly it was Blackburn who gained the upper hand with the impressive work rate of Jordan becoming a constant threat to the Leicester defence.  Blackburn deservedly took the lead on 73 minutes when Cook rose superbly to head home a left wing corner, even though they now had the lead this probably gave more tension to the Blackburn bench who were no livewires urging their side onto the final whistle.
But probably the most deserved goal fell to Jordan on 90 minutes here constant running and chasing saw her fire Blackburn into a now unassailable 3-1 lead and also earned here the 'player of the match' performance.  It is also worth mentioning on the Rovers side Kayleigh McDonald who
performed very well for Blackburn throughout the game.

SAFFRON JORDAN IS SOMEWHERE UNDER THERE AFTER SCORING ROVERS THIRD

When Amy Fearn blew the final whistle it was scenes of joy for Rovers and the ooh so harsh despair of defeat for Leicester City but this final had been a truly wonderful advert for the women's game, something that we are hearing so often now and the levels of skill and ability alongside the players work rate were a credit to both sides on the day that produces an excellent showpiece.

PAIGE STEWART CULTURED MIDFIELD PERFORMANCE FOR THE FOXES

All that remained was the runners up medals for Leicester who looked shattered following their efforts, a presentation to the match officials who performed admirably, the player of the match trophy and then it was time for Blackburn Captain Lynda Shepherd to hold aloft the FAWPL Trophy to declare the Lancashire club 2017/18 winners.  The closing stages of the presentation saw many of the players able to enjoy the celebrations stand side with all their family members and many a memorable moment was captured.