Cullompton Rangers LFC
Cully through to second round
Cully 8 v St Blazey 0
16th Sept
Cully took a break from league action this week when they hosted Cornish side St Blazey in the F.A. Cup. Although a few leagues lower the away team were not underestimated by the Gaffer who played 9 of the 11 who started the league game last week. The changes saw Voni Cockram replacing Kim Betlam who was unavailable and Rachel Javan returning from the U.S.A in place of the suspended Angie Pope. Emma Redwood kept the gloves with Max Coupe taking a weeks break due to a family bereavement.
The game started superbly for the home side when they scored in the first minute. Cully won the ball from the St Blazey kick off and attacked down the left wing with Jess Hooper, her pass found Jones whose excellent left foot cross was met by Voni on the far post. Voni made no mistake and finished from close range. The second goal followed soon after when Cully were awarded a penalty, a cross from right winger Voni was handled by the St Blazey defender and the linesman flagged for the spot kick. Dead ball specialist Catherine 'Curly' Wright put the ball to the keepers right and out of reach. St Blazey then had a good spell for ten minutes where they put the Cully midfield and defence under a bit of pressure, but they were unable to test stand-in keeper Redders with just one shot which went wide of the target.
Cully regrouped and concentrated on their passing football, the girls attacked in numbers using the wide players effectively to stretch the St Blazey defence. Wingers Jess and Voni, supported well by full-backs Kerry Powell-Tuckett and Karen 'Bucky' Buck, saw a lot of the ball in the opening 30 minutes. Just after the half hour mark Cully scored their 3rd. Emma Jones looked dangerous attacking with pace, and was fouled ten yards outside the box. The angle was perfect for left footed Jess who struck a sweet shot into the back of the net from the resulting free kick. Josie Copp and Curly were dominant in midfield, winning every loose ball and header. Their power and skill proved difficult for the visitors, who struggled to mark them and thwart their flare.
Bucky was unlucky not to make it 4 when she struck a powerful shot from 35 yards. A ball rolled back from Josie was hit goal bound, but her left foot strike thundered against the underside of the bar and was cleared by an opposing player. Kerry was next to come close to scoring, linking up well with Voni she struck a shot just over the bar. The fourth goal came just before half time as Javan rediscovered her scoring touch after a 3 month break. A looping cross from defender Sam Bell evaded the St Blazey defence and Rachel finished from a narrow angle with a left foot volley. Josie nearly made it 5 before the break when she too hit the woodwork. As the visitors tried to clear a corner Josie pounced on the loose ball and her looping header hit the bar.
Ten minutes into the second half Voni donned the gloved to allow Redders to stretch her legs in attack. Emma Jones switched to the right wing. St Blazey started the half brightly and central defenders Kaylee Symons and Sam were called into action. The girls then settled down and Redders was unlucky not to score with her first touch outfield. A ball over the top from Kaylee was chased by Redders, as she set to strike she was fouled in the box but no penalty was awarded. Josie scored a deserved goal to make the scoreline 5-0 on 60 minutes. After seeing a few shots and headers go wide she found the back of the net with a clinical right footed strike from just outside the box. Rachel made way for debutante Heather Carter just after the hour mark, and she immediately got into the game hassling defenders. The 6th goal was soon to follow when Curly tapped in from close range. A melee in the 6 yard box and St Blazey failing to clear their lines led to Curly pouncing in on a loose ball. A string of injuries led to St Blazey making their final substitution which coincided with Jess Hooper being flattened causing a nose-bleed. After treatment she battled on allowing Bex Mitchell to remain seated in the dug out to the disapointment of her posee of suporters who attended the game! Emma Jones again turned provider for number 7 as she crossed from the right. Her pass was met by Redders whose well executed shot looped over the keeper. Jones was unfortunate not to get on the score sheet herself when she headed a Curly corner down towards the corner of the net. A superb save by the Cornish keeper saw the ball tipped around the post. From the resultant corner kick another Jones header was cleared off the line by the defender on the post. Sub Mitchell was brought on for the last 15 mintes to give Jones a well deserved rest. Mitchell settled in well with some neat passing between her, Curly and Kerry on the right. The eighth and final goal came in the last few minutes of the game when another dangerous Curly corner caused problems in the St Blazey defence. Several attackers made contact in the box but Josie made sure and chested the ball over the line. All credit to the St Blazey players who battled well for 90 minutes and kept their heads up throughout. They were cheered on for the whole game by their vocal supporters as they travelled up in numbers. Cully will now play Taunton at home in the next round in a fortnights time. Next Sunday sees the girls return to league action away to Exeter Uni with a morning kick off at 11am.