Posh Women progress into the second round of the Women's FA Cup after victory over The Yachtswomen.
It wasn’t the prettiest game of football you will ever see, but Peterborough United Women booked their spot in the second round of the Women’s FA Cup after goals from Keir Perkins and Frankie Pim in extra-time secured a 2-1 victory over Wroxham Women in the 120 minutes at Trafford Park.
Pim was named on the bench for the first-time, stepping up from the under 23s after some impressive performances, while Dan Lawlor named two changes to the starting line-up as Megan Lawlor and Tara Kirk came in for Ellie York and Jess Driscoll.
However, Posh were forced into an early change, Evie Driscoll-King struggling with injury and was forced to come off for York on 20 minutes. The first opportunity of the game fell on 34 minutes after a scrappy start to the game, with Katie Middleton and Poppie Brown both seeing efforts blocked.
Lara Densley curled an effort just over the bar, while at the other end of the pitch, her fellow teammates were putting everything on the line, throwing a body in front of Middleton’s low-driven effort from just inside the area.
The hosts should have broken the deadlock in the opening stages of the second half as Hannah Fowler raced behind the Posh backline, but she poked her effort wide of the target. Perkins fired over the bar on the bounce after the goalkeeper could only punch away Ellie York’s free-kick to the feet of our number nine.
Middleton was superbly denied by Bryony Williams on 67 minutes as her curling effort was tipped over the bar before having two strong penalty appeals waved away by the referee. As the game entered the final 10 minutes, Posh continued to push for the winner, Perkins sending a header narrowly wide from Middleton’s cross.
Lawlor named his third change of the afternoon as Pim was introduced for Kirk to make her debut for the first team. Posh struck the woodwork twice in injury-time - Sophie Scargill hitting the underside of the crossbar before Middleton’s shot from the edge of the box bounced off the post - and also saw an effort cleared off the line.
Pim nearly made an instant impact on her debut as Niamh Connor’s long throw was flicked on by Driscoll and fell to the feet of the young forward, but her snapshot effort was superbly tipped around the post by Williams and saw the game head into extra-time.
The deadlock was eventually broken in the third minute of extra time as Middleton’s cross fell to Perkins at the back-post, she took one touch before firing the ball past Williams at the near-post.
Posh doubled their lead just six minutes later and it was a memorable goal for Pim on her debut, latching on to a mistake from a defender just inside the area and calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to score her first goal at senior level.
The Yachstwomen made an instant reply and cut the deficit on 110 minutes as a long-ball over the top bounced over Neive Corry and Luci Middleton was there to convert into the empty net.
Unsurprisingly, the game turned scrappy as both sides struggled with fitness in the closing stages, but Posh managed to see out a late equaliser from the hosts to secure their spot in the second round draw.
Posh XI: Corry, Lawlor, Mugridge, Connor, Driscoll-King (York, 20min), Brown (Driscoll, 57min), Scargill, Axten (Bennett, 97min), Middleton, Kirk (Pim, 81min), Perkins.
Subs Not Used: Guy.