Report: Farsley Celtic Women 5 – 1 Sheffield United Community Women

Women's Football Association Cup on Sunday, September 1st at Amaranth Cricket Club

The Sheffield United Community Foundation has been working hard to support the local community.

Farsley Celtic Women began their 2024/25 season by competing in the FA Cup after a three-year break. They faced Sheffield United Community Women in the first qualifying round, playing at Amaranth FC because the pitch at the Citadel was being worked on. The team, selected by Izzy Roads and Connor Cowan, included two new players and many experienced players from last season's successful promotion.

At the beginning of the game, both teams were evenly matched as they settled into the match. Sheffield United Community had the first opportunity with a shot that narrowly missed the goal.

This really spurred Farsley into gear and they quickly began to have a lot of success with passes to wingers Shirley Murphy and Georgia Bull, allowing them to outmaneuver the Sheffield defense multiple times. It was Georgia Bull who maintained her impressive scoring streak from preseason by scoring the opening goal from a short distance after some excellent teamwork from Murphy on the flank.

After 36 minutes of play, a second goal was scored by Emma Elliott in her first official game for the team. She skillfully controlled the ball with her head and kicked it towards the goal, successfully increasing the lead. This initial goal boosted her confidence, and we can expect to see more impressive performances from our new striker throughout the season.

After being ahead 2-0 at halftime, there was no reason to make any significant adjustments. They just had to continue playing in the same way in the second half. Shirley Murphy made sure to score her usual goal at the 55th minute, executing a beautiful strike that went past the goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty box.

Shortly after, we found ourselves celebrating once more when Georgia Bull rose unchallenged to score a header past the goalie, thanks to a well-placed corner from Lauren Rigby. Bull was clearly delighted with her goal, and even though Sheffield United Community managed to score shortly after, it didn't affect her mood. In the 78th minute, Bull scored our last goal of the day to complete a perfect hat-trick, her first for the club. This victory secured our spot in the second qualifying round with a convincing 5-1 win.

Next on the schedule for Farsley Celtic in the Adobe Women's FA Cup is a quick journey to Bradford to face Bradford City, aiming for a spot in the third qualifying round on Sunday, September 22nd. But following that, our focus will shift to Premier Division matches as we kick off our league campaign with a match against Wyke Wanderers next week.