Robins Win Surrey Divisional Cup -

Robins Win Surrey Divisional Cup

Carshalton Athletic won the Surrey Divisional Cup for the second successive season on Sunday afternoon with a 6–1 victory over Milford & Witley at Meadowbank.

Manager Aaron Lamont made two changes from the side that secured a 4–2 win at Chessington & Hook United. Xaidan Gooding and Maisie Ward returned to the starting XI, while Suzanne Davies and Taylor McCrea dropped to the bench.

The game got underway on a cold and rainy afternoon in Dorking. The Robins started brightly and pushed forward in search of the opening goal. Within two minutes, Leanne Bell struck an effort from outside the box, but saw it fly over the crossbar. Just a minute later, top scorer Dee Badley got herself into a good position and hit a powerful strike at goal, but the effort was pushed away by the Milford & Witley goalkeeper.

The Robins were on top in the early stages and opened the scoring after 14 minutes. The Milford & Witley goalkeeper rushed out of her penalty area to clear the ball, but ended up on the floor after colliding with her own player. This allowed Carshalton to regain possession, and Kenza Gueriani was able to tap the ball into an empty net to make it 1–0.

Carshalton went close to doubling their lead on 26 minutes. Demi Allen whipped a dangerous ball into the area from the right-hand side. The delivery nearly caught the goalkeeper out, who managed to get a touch to prevent it from going in. However, the ball was not fully cleared and fell to Gueriani, but the youngster was unable to finish.

Gueriani was involved again four minutes later when Dee Badley made a great run down the left-hand side and cut the ball back to her, but despite being well positioned, she fired the opportunity wide.

The Robins thought they had doubled their advantage on 35 minutes. Demi Allen slipped the ball through to Honey Dulley, who fired into the bottom corner, but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside.

Carshalton had one final chance before the break when Bianca Underhill cut inside on 42 minutes and looked to curl an effort into the far corner, only to see it drift over the crossbar.

The referee blew for half-time with the Robins leading 1–0. Carshalton had created plenty of chances in the first half and knew they needed to be more clinical after the break, with Milford & Witley looking dangerous at times on the counter-attack.

The second half began with another quick start from the Robins, who doubled their lead on 49 minutes. Bianca Underhill picked the ball up outside the box and struck a dipping effort at goal that beat the Milford & Witley goalkeeper, clipping the post before hitting the back of the net to make it 2–0.

Carshalton then added a third just a minute later. Dee Badley, who has been in fantastic scoring form this season, raced towards goal and fired the ball into the bottom corner to make it 3–0 and give the Robins a comfortable cushion for the remainder of the game.

The Robins had one hand on the trophy by now, but continued to push forward and scored a fourth on 55 minutes. This time, Dee Badley turned provider, slipping the ball through to Kenza Gueriani, who smashed the ball home for her second goal of the game to make it 4–0.

Despite being four goals down, Milford & Witley still had their moments, with Emily Smith having two decent chances to reduce the deficit, but she ultimately fired both efforts wide. At the other end, Leanne Bell spotted the Milford goalkeeper off her line and tried her luck from distance, but the goalkeeper recovered well to catch the effort.

On 73 minutes, Carshalton grabbed a fifth. Leanne Bell’s ball in from the right-hand side found Kenza Gueriani at the back post, and she fired home to complete her hat-trick and make it 5–0 to Carshalton.

A minute later, it was six. A delightful ball was played through to substitute Taylor McCrea, who raced onto it. The Milford goalkeeper rushed out in an attempt to close down the angle, but McCrea delicately lifted the ball over her and into the back of the net to make it 6–0.

Milford & Witley were able to score a late consolation goal in the 76th minute. Emily Smith found herself through on goal and finished with a powerful effort. Milford did have another chance towards the end, with their number 10 firing an effort at goal, but Yarrow was well positioned and held onto the shot.

The referee blew the full-time whistle, with the Robins running out 6–1 winners to retain the Surrey Divisional Cup for the second year in a row. The players and staff received the trophy on the pitch straight after the game in front of a large contingent of Carshalton fans who made the trip to Dorking.

It has been another successful season for the Women’s team, with a second-place league finish followed by cup success at Meadowbank.

The season is now over, with players and staff set for a well-earned rest ahead of next season. Pre-season is expected to begin in July, ahead of competitive fixtures getting underway in late August. Thank you for your fantastic support this season – see you in July!