BLACKBURN Rovers Ladies enjoyed further cup success by beating Portsmouth in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Premier League Cup.

Fresh from lifting the Lancashire Cup in midweek, Scott Rogers’ side produced another impressive performance, this time at Radcliffe Borough’s Stainton Park, to book a semi-final tie away to Sunderland later this month.

Rovers welcomed back Lagan Makin, Lizzie Ince and Danielle Oates to the starting XI and made a bright start against the Southern Division side.

Danielle Sheen lobbed an early effort over both keeper and bar, before Nichol Forster hit the post.

Portsmouth’s best chance of the half came on 15 minutes, but a flicked header from a free-kick fizzed just wide.

Rovers responded, with Nichol Forster curling an effort high and wide, and Katie Anderton playing a dangerous ball across the face of goal, before the hosts did make the breakthrough just past the midway point. Nichol Forster set the ball back to Hannah Forster, who fired a side-foot shot into the top corner.

A break in play followed after a Portsmouth player suffered a suspected broken ankle, but on the resumption, Rovers double d their lead when Carmel Bennett headed home Anderton’s corner for her first goal for the club.

The visitors did halve the deficit shortly after. Oates was penalised for bringing down a Pompey player in the box and the subsequent spot-kick was smashed home.

Manager Scott Rogers said: “I am constantly praising my squad, but it is fully deserved.

“The scoreline doesn’t do us justice, because it should have been four or five. We were stronger in every department.”

Rovers: Parker, Pennington, Bennett, Turner, Oates, Ince, H Forster, Anderton, Makin (Donoghue 70), Sheen, N Forster (Savage 79).

Subs not used:, Jackson, Foxley, Whitham.