Accrington Stanley Women booked their place in the third round of the Alliance Design & Print Cup with a commanding 5-0 victory over Warrington Town Women on Sunday afternoon at Accrington & Rossendale College.
A superb brace from Ellie Parker set the tone for a dominant afternoon, while Megan Oliver, Ava Schofield and Lucy Earnshaw also found the net as Stanley Women extended their impressive winning run to three matches, a spell which has seen them score 22 goals while conceding just four.
The contest began at a fast tempo, with both sides pressing aggressively in the early stages. Warrington registered the first effort on target, but Ruth Hardbord was equal to it, producing a strong save in the Stanley Women goal.
The hosts soon responded with pressure of their own and, after some excellent approach play involving Oliver, Parker, Charlotte Greenwood and Zara Oomman, Stanley Women thought they had taken the lead, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
The opening exchanges remained entertaining, with Oliver firing narrowly wide before Warrington sent a free-kick just over the crossbar. Stanley Women then created two clear chances in quick succession, Oliver and Parker both denied by the visiting goalkeeper as the breakthrough continued to beckon.
It finally arrived when Parker produced a moment of quality, firing home a stunning effort to give Stanley Women a deserved lead.
Rather than settling, the hosts continued to push forward, with Molly-Anne Murray causing problems down the left and Sophie Cliff, later named player of the match, pulling the strings in midfield.
Cliff went close as Stanley Women looked to extend their advantage, and their persistence was rewarded just before the break. A slick passing move between Schofield and Earnshaw ended with Schofield calmly finding the net to make it 2-0 at half-time.
Stanley Women picked up exactly where they left off after the interval, making a blistering start to the second half. A perfectly delivered corner from Gracie Driscoll was met by Parker, who headed home her second of the afternoon to put the hosts firmly in control.
Now dominant, Stanley Women continued to attack with confidence and soon added a fourth. Earnshaw made a clever run and finished confidently to further underline the home side’s superiority.
To their credit, Warrington kept pushing, but the Stanley Women defence, marshalled superbly by captain Lily Edmondson alongside Murray and Isabella Dunn, stood firm.
At the other end, Stanley Women remained a constant threat, with the pace of Oliver and Schofield stretching the visitors. Oliver capped a tireless performance by battling hard before finding the back of the net to complete the scoring and seal a convincing 5-0 win. Accrington Stanley Women Coach Marc Schofield said: “An outstanding team performance today against an in-form Warrington side. We showed brilliant energy and perseverance all game.
“We were constantly pressed and the girls showed great courage and quality on numerous occasions to beat the press and create some really promising moments.
“We took lots of positives out of today’s game; a clean sheet, four different attackers getting goals, our wingers providing end product, our general team play dominant and our fitness levels impressive.
Every game coming up is a big game now and the confidence we take from today gives us a great feeling in the changing room.”
Accrington Stanley Women Chair Sami Smithson said: “It was a stellar performance from the first team and a real blend of experience and pathway. The technical football, well drilled set pieces and confidence oozed.
“What I would put down as one of the best performances of the season and I am excited to see how the team continues as we approach a cup semi-final on Sunday and some crucial league fixtures in the coming weeks.”
Accrington Stanley Women are back in action this Sunday when they travel to face Wigan Athletic Women in the semi-final of the Lancashire FA Women’s Challenge Cup, with kick-off scheduled for 2pm.
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