Douglas Royal 11, Peel 4
WITH a record scoreline for a semi-final, Douglas Royal reached a record ninth Floodlit Cup final at the expense of a battling Peel at the weekend.
Kym Hicklin opened the scoring for the Whites with an effort that went through a forest of players before finding its way into the net.
However, Peel briefly lived the dream after Maxine Smalley headed home an equaliser following Mel McKnight’s corner and took the lead when Kerry Beattie unselfishly passed to Nicola Naden to chip home.
This stirred up a hornets’ nest with Royal being behind for their first time in this season’s competition and they levelled matters with a Siobhann Lockwood strike. Donna Shimmin soon netted their third before Lockwood scored again and Shimmin bagged their fifth to seemingly put the result beyond doubt.
Naden briefly reduced the arrears for Peel after the break but Cole drove home Royal’s sixth with Shimmin netting a double to make it 8-3. Lockwood completed her hat-trick and Becci Pate scored to bring the score to double figures. Leanne Quayle drilled in a powerful shot for their 11th with Naden completing her hat-trick and a consolation before full-time.
Douglas Royal: Sam Jordan, Andrea Lace, Kerry Lockwood, Leanne Quayle, Zoe Hawley, Kym Hicklin, Becci Pate, Bekki Cole, Sarah Breen, Siobhann Lockwood, Donna Shimmin
Peel: Kayleigh Greggor, Jasmyn Crowe, Lisa Pugh, Vanessa Roberts, Mel McKnight, Donna Harrison, Maxine Smalley, Katie Meads (Aalish Burden 32m), Kerry Beattie, Michelle Poyzer, Nicola Naden
Corinthians 4 Gymnasium 0
CORINTHIANS reached their fourth Floodlit Cup final in seven seasons by dispatching Gymnasium 4-0 on Sunday.
The Tromode outfit witnessed a return of a number of their big guns, however they failed to create a shot on target throughout the match. Victory came at a cost for the holders, though, as Jade Burden was dismissed in the closing stages.
Gymns were pegged back into their own half for most of the opening 35 minutes and Corinthians took the lead following a free-kick that was awarded on the left and Jenna McStay’s set-piece was fumbled into the net. A second was scored before half-time, Stephanie Hall sprayed her pass to the right and Kiera Morgan’s effort was repelled into the path of the onrushing Lauren Christian to crash into the net.
After the break a third was registered when McStay’s ball over the top released Burden to tuck home.
The Whites netted their fourth midway through the second half after Alcivane McGreggor’s lay-off was picked up by Anna Dillon who embarked on another mazy run before firing into the net. However, Burden turned heroine to villain when she was shown a red card after a reckless challenge on defender Kim Carney.
Corinthians: Rose Ozga, Shannon Groves (Alcivane McGreggor 65m), Jenna McStay (Charlotte Wynne-Smythe 50m), Sarah O’Reilly, Sarah Kerford, Stephanie Hall, Anna Dillon, Jade Burden, Kiera Morgan, Lauren Christian (Melissa Bell 40m)
Gymnasium: Sam Harrison, Kayleigh Whitehead, Sam MacDonald, Kim Carney, Zoe Carney, Rachael Beckley, Eleanor Gawne, Gill Christian, Lauren Miller, Alannah Hall, Mia Brigantova (Rachel Shepherd 55m).
l THE 14th Warehouse Gymnasium sponsored Floodlit Cup will take place this Sunday with the usual suspects Corinthians and Douglas Royal contesting the first piece of major silverware in women’s football this season.
Holders Corinthians will be looking to replicate the achievement of Malew AFC by becoming the second team to retain this trophy - Malew won this competition in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
Michael Quilliam’s side has won this competition thrice, on each occasion at the expense of their neighbours and although they are top of the league table, their football in this season’s competition has at times been below their best. However, they will be bolstered by reinforcements with players coming through the ranks and last weekend Melissa Bell made her debut for the club.
Attack has been the best form of defence for Douglas Royal who have been scoring goals for fun, reaching double figures in each of the matches in this season’s competition. However, their Achilles’ heel has been their defensive line, having conceded four goals. This vulnerability was also evident in the derby match at the league.
To date, Royal have a great history within this competition, reaching the final stages seven times and winning it on four occasions. The most successful side in the Floodlit Cup, they’ll be looking to replicate the success of the classes of 2000, ‘04, ‘09 and ‘11.
Come Sunday evening, should Corinthians’ captain Anna Dillon lift the trophy, it will further cement the claim that they are the best team in the island and equal the achievements of their neighbours, winning the cup for a fourth time.
Should Douglas Royal skipper Kym Hicklin hold the silverware aloft after the final whistle, it would be a welcome boost for the Whites, after finishing trophy-less last campaign and a first trophy for manager Glenn Weir in his inaugural year, adding to their honours board for a record fifth time
This fixture so often brings out the best in players, so another compelling story of the Noble’s Park/Ballafletcher derby waits to be written this weekend.
Corinthians squad from: Rose Ozga, Shannon Groves, Jenna McStay, Sarah O’Reilly, Shelley Simpson, Sarah Kerford, Lauren Christian, Stephanie Hall, Anna Dillon (Captain), Kiera Morgan, Jade Burden, Alcivane McGreggor, Charlotte Wynne-Smythe, Melissa Bell, Zoe McCann, Natalie Morgan. Manager: Michael Quilliam
Douglas Royal squad from: Kerri Williams, Sam Jordan, Zoe Hawley, Kym Hicklin (Captain), Andrea Lace, Kerry Lockwood, Sarah Breen, Leanne Quayle, Becci Pate, Rebecca Cole, Siobhann Lockwood, Donna Shimmin, Sam Jordan, Tracy Craig, Orna McKeever, Katie Halsall. Manager: Glenn Weir