Wednesday February 10, 2010
Padiham FC, Lancashire Cup
Rovers Ladies 3-1 Preston North End
Rovers Ladies booked their place in the Lancashire Cup final for the seventh year running courtesy of a 3-1 win over Preston North End.
Kate Ward opened the scoring midway through the first half, working half a yard of space before firing the ball into the bottom corner.
Katie Anderton doubled Rovers' lead, controlling Lauren Walker's left-wing cross, before picking her spot from 12 yards out.
Preston pulled one back just before the break when Sam Cadwallader smashed a shot into the top corner from just outside the area, but Nicky Twohig secured the win five minutes from time with a confidently struck penalty after Danielle Sheen had been chopped down inside the box.
Rovers will now face Salford in the final - a team they beat at the same stage of the competition two years ago when they lifted the county crown for the fifth season in succession.
Manager Adam Lakeland said: "We obviously wanted to get to the final again after last season's disappointment of not retaining the trophy.
"We're hungry to win it back, but we knew we would have to be professional and get the job done, because Preston are a much improved side.
"Our game against Lincoln last weekend took a lot out of us and it showed in the first half, because I thought we were below par. But after we got the first goal, I knew the result would never be in doubt.
"We had a lot of possession and controlled the game for long periods, but we just couldn't shrug them off and credit to them. We had to defend well in the second half and cope with a lot of balls into the box, but the back four stood strong, dealt with the pressure and saw us through.
"Overall, I thought we deserved to go through, but Preston certainly made us work hard for it."
Rovers' cup quest continues this Sunday, with an FA Women's Cup quarter-final away to Everton.
The title-chasing Toffees will be huge favourites to make it into the last four, but Lakeland is urging his players to go out and make history.
"Everton are one of the best teams in the country and we will relish the challenge of playing against them," he added.
"The last time we played them was the closest we have come to beating them and that performance will fill us with optimism that we can cause an upset.
"They are expected to win and rightly so with the quality they have in their ranks. But we're hoping that their game against Leeds in the League Cup final on Thursday night will take a lot out of them both physically and emotionally, and if the players can stick to the game plan we've put in place, then hopefully we can get the best result in this club's history."
A picture gallery from the game is now available.
ROVERS: Hill, Carroll (sub Sullivan 87 mins), Roberts, Twohig, Harding, Walker, Kane, Shepherd, Sheen, Anderton (sub Forster 65 mins), Ward (sub Heyes 72 mins).
Subs not used: Flynn, Foster.
