FA Cup Thriller !

This was a thrilling FA cup tie against Frome side sitting 2 leagues above Ilminster. With Ilminster travelling as a bare 11 squad after Centre back Emma Jennings unable to play, this resulted in midfielder Sarah Roxburgh to take the reigns and take control.

Ilminster got off to a shaky start conceding 2 goals in the first 15 minutes. Ilminster then found their feet but after many chances to bring them back into the game they just could not convert, this then created a problem as Ilminster were then punished by a 3rd Frome goal.

Ilminster however did not give up and carried on pushing and this eventually paid off when right on the edge of half time through some good football Jenny Frost found herself through on goal however when the shot was initially saved it was Frost who was quickest to react to guarantee the ball went in this time.

With a goal just before half time there was hope Ilminster would use it to their advantage and continue as they finished the half however this did not happen and Ilminster came out only to concede another goal within minutes of the restart to take fromes lead to 4-1 and an uphill battle for the girls.

This however seemed to shock Ilminster into life leading them to play with great determination and style led by girl of the game Dee Cracknell down the left side. All this hard effort paid off when Jenny Frost again in the mix of the action scored her second except this time with a superb 25 yard strike leaving the keeper with no chance. The momentum really took over the whole of the squad and Frome were soon on the back foot, defending constantly. Things looked bad for a minute when Ilminster player Aimee Rowe also having a great game appeared to occur an injury forcing her to leave the field and leaving Ilminster to play with a bare 10.

Ilminster battled on in the same spirit and played on as though with 11 players on the pitch leading Alice Charlton adding a brace to level the scores. Firstly when a perfect ball was played through leaving Charlton to finish off and that she did, the second goal came when a goal kick from the hands of Bond went some distance allowing Frost to nod on for Charlton to take through again making it count bringing the score to 4-4.

After such hard work Ilminster couldn't quite find the winner straight away. Play was then stopped due to Keeper Abbi Bond appearing to be elbowed after clearing a ball resulting in a nose bleed requiring lengthy treatment. Play then resumed with Bond sporting some first aid DIY around her face. Ilminster still continued to press however in the last minute of normal time Frome were awarded a free kick just outside the 18 yard box and with a good strike Bond pulled off a great save tipping the free kick over the bar to deny Frome a last minute winner, taking it to extra time.

Extra time saw 2 very tired sides slug it out, however with Chelsea Board, Anna Bussell and Sarah Roxburgh in defense Ilminster remained strong at the back denying Frome.
Again from some good work in midfield Ilminster took the lead through Charlton to make the score to 5-4 however as time went on it became very much an end to end game and Frome were soon back in it when they were awarded a penalty for handball and they converted taking the score to 5-5. Tiredness continued to play a major factor resulting in a frome player performing a bad tackle on midfielder Megan Purchase who retaliated and with some rather heated words exchanged both girls were booked, leading to Purchases first Yellow card of the season and first since arrival to the club.

Ilminster still continued to press putting all their remaining energy into the game with Sarah Miller and Megan Purchase pulling a good shift in and great work from Lesley Spearing down the right wing however it was not to be and extra time finished 5-5 leading the game to be decided through penalty's.

Ilminster were first to step up and get the penalty's underway, with everyone watching and the support growing for the home team, Sarah Roxburgh did not let this affect her and converted her penalty brilliantly when she struck it into the top right corner leaving the Keeper no chance. Frome however could not convert and blasted the penalty over the bar.

Next to step up was Chelsea Board, who also took her time and stayed calm, converting the penalty sweetly into the corner. Again Frome stepped up however this time although Bond dived the correct way the ball went wide of the post. Megan Purchase was next to step up and although the penalty was a brilliant strike it just tipped the bar and was unfortunate not to go in. This was Fromes chance to convert and place the pressure on Ilminster however again they could not and shot took itself over the bar. It was then down to injured player Aimee Rowe to take the next penalty, and through the pain barrier Rowe converted a powerful strike into the corner of the goal once more regaining her nickname of "Hero" resulting in Ilminster winning 3-0 on penalty's and qualifying for the second round of the Women s Fa cup.

This was a brilliant game and performance from every player who worked extremely hard as a team and kept the spirit throughout the game and got the more deserved result for being the better team over the 120 minutes of football !

Girl of the game - Dee Cracknell
Goal Scorers - Alice Charlton (3) , Jenny Frost (2)
Penalty scorers - Sarah Roxburgh, Chelsea Board and Aimee Rowe.

Ilminster have now drawn Cheltenham away in the second round.