On Saturday, March 29, Bootham Ladies welcomed Tier 1 side Bedford Ladies to their home ground in the last 16 of the National Cup. After a challenging league season, this match offered a golden opportunity for the team to secure another major scalp, potentially setting up a thrilling away tie against another Tier 1 side in the quarterfinals.

The Bootham squad saw the return of Charlotte Board, Kim Samson, and Suzy Collins, strengthening their lineup to arguably its best form. With high expectations and the prospect of advancing further in the competition, the question remained: Could this talented group deliver when it mattered most?

Bootham’s starting five for the match included Rowan Treagus, Jess Baker, Nikki Brown, Ruby Shaw, and Allegra Sellschop-Evans (GK). On the bench were Jess Barnes, Charlotte Broad, Katie Samson (GK), Kim Samson, Ava Worthy, Ellie Whittaker (C), Heather Smith, Natasha Eustance, and Suzy Collins.

1st Half

Bedford nearly took the lead within the first 10 seconds, but their close-range shot sailed just wide. Booth’s first chance came after excellent work from Shaw, setting up Brown, whose shot flew just over the bar.

Bootham began to grow into the game, with a long pass from Treagus finding Brown, who laid it back to Treagus, her shot, however, drifted just wide. From an Eustance pass, Brown tested the keeper again, and soon after, a well-worked team move saw Eustance shoot over from close range.

Despite Bootham’s increasing pressure, Bedford struck first. However, almost immediately, great work from Barnes set up Eustance, who equalized from inside the D.

Against the run of play, Bedford responded with two quick goals. Bootham pushed to close the gap, with Broad making a powerful run the length of the court, exchanging passes with Brown but unable to apply the crucial touch. Smith then struck the post from a Broad cross, while Brown and Eustance both sent shots over the bar. Treagus came close before the impressive Broad found Brown, who finished smartly to keep Bootham in the contest.

Half Time – Bootham 2 – 3 Bedford

2nd Half

Bootham started the second half on the front foot, determined to get back on level terms with their visitors. Broad tested the keeper twice early on before a driving run from Treagus saw her exchange passes with Eustance, but she was just unable to apply the finishing touch. Barnes then picked out Eustance in front of goal, but she couldn’t quite bring the ball under control to get her shot away.

Despite Bootham’s dominance, Bedford struck against the run of play to extend their lead. Bootham responded with renewed intensity, as Brown showed great awareness to set up Treagus, whose shot agonisingly drifted wide. Then came a frantic 30 seconds of action: Eustance’s long-range effort was saved, the keeper then threw the ball straight to Treagus, who couldn’t convert, and when the rebound fell to Eustance, her shot cannoned off the foot of the post.

Bootham finally got the goal their play deserved when Broad’s long ball was met by Brown, whose header struck the post before Shaw reacted quickest to slam the rebound home. However, their celebrations were short-lived, as Bedford immediately restored their advantage.

Still, Bootham refused to back down. Their relentless pressure paid off when Smith’s close-range effort was deflected into the net by a Bedford defender. Moments later, Brown smashed home from close range to complete the comeback. In a frantic, end-to-end finale, it was Bedford who had the final say, snatching a dramatic late winner.

Full Time – Bootham 5 – 6 Bedford

A frustrated Coach Chris shared his thoughts after the game:

“I have to say I’m disappointed with the result. I thought we created enough chances to win the game. In previous weeks, we’ve been converting those chances, but today, for whatever reason, it just didn’t happen for us. At times, our approach play was good, perhaps we could have played a bit slower, kept more control, but we delivered dangerous balls into the D and just didn’t have that player at the second post to finish them off.

If any game were to sum up our season, it would be this one. We controlled large parts of the match but failed to put the opposition away. It’s something we’ve been working on in training, getting players into the right areas, but on this day, we didn’t execute. Looking at the shot count, we outshot Bedford in every area, which is usually a good indicator of our creativity, but today, it didn’t translate into goals.

Credit to Bedford, they took their chances at critical moments, and we wish them the best in the next round. Playing these Tier 1 sides in the cup has shown that we can compete at the top level and push elite teams. Now, we must take that experience and build on it for next season to reach that top tier ourselves.

We have one game left, home to Liverpool next Saturday. They won’t want to finish the season with zero points, so we have to regroup, put this result behind us, and end the season on a high note.”

Player of the Match, as chosen by match sponsor Mollie, was Charlotte Broad – She was at her absolute best, expertly controlling the tempo of the game and adjusting the pace when needed. Her skillful play and tactical awareness were instrumental in shifting the momentum and ensuring her team nearly got the victory.

A few images from the day: