Milton Keynes Dons Ladies progressed through to the County Cup semi-final following their penalty shoot-out win over Maidenhead.
Maidenhead started the strongest and rightly took the lead midway through the first. Falling behind proved to be a wake-up call for the Dons who grew stronger and stronger as the game went on.
The Dons Ladies grabbed a goal back on the stroke of half-time when some good play down the left-hand side from Emily Mann resulted in a 25-yard diagonal cross to the feet of Emily Ingle who beat one defender and slotted the ball past the ‘keeper.
In the second half the Dons Ladies dominated most of the play but Maidenhead did threaten on the counter-attack. Midway through the second half it was Maidenhead who regained the lead as they broke the Dons Ladies’ defence to make it 2-1.
Matt French’s Dons Ladies had it all to do again with time running out but Mann stepped up to the plate and with 15 minutes remaining turned the ball home to force the equaliser. Despite pressing for a late winner, the Ladies were forced into extra-time.
In extra-time Maidenhead continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack while the Dons Ladies were unable to make their dominance in possession count; so the quarter-final went to penalties.
Hannah Barrett, Lil Stanton and Charly Wright all held their nerve for the Dons Ladies while Maidenhead netted their first penalty, saw their second saved by Emma Kirby and missed their third. It meant the Dons Ladies had completed the comeback in the most dramatic of circumstances to book their place in the semi-final.
