Suffolk FA Women’s Cup Final AFC Sudbury 1 Ipswich Town 5 Ipswich Town Ladies responded to an early scare as they came from a goal down to brush aside AFC Sudbury 5-1 and lift the Suffolk FA Women’s Cup in front of a bumper crowd at a hot and sunny Weston Homes Community Stadium, writes Kieren Standley.
456 fans turned out at the home of Colchester United as a brace from top-scorer Natasha Thomas and goals from Lindsey Cooper, Amanda Crump and Sophie Welton saw the Blues to their fourth straight county cup title.
Sudbury took a surprise lead inside the first 20 minutes when Sophie Jeffrey’s corner travelled through a host of bodies and found the back of Sian Fagg’s net, stunning the Tractor Girls.
However, the Blues responded almost instantly when Welton forced Sudbury keeper Penny Everett into a parried save, with Thomas reacting quickest to slam home the rebound and bring Town level.
Zoe Cossey went close to putting Town in front but would have been cursing her luck as she was unlucky to see her audacious effort cannon off the crossbar.
To their disbelief, Town hit the crossbar again, with Welton this time hitting the underside of the bar with a driven shot from distance. Ipswich did finally take the lead ten minutes from the break, with skipper Crump timing her run to perfection and sweeping home Thomas’ cut back from the left side of the area.
Town would go on to hit the woodwork for a third time as Cooper soared highest to meet Crump’s corner but found the crossbar denying her a goal.
Welton extended the Blues’ cushion ten minutes after the restart - following up at the back post after Thomas’ initial effort had been parried into the path of the Town winger.
Cooper got in on the action on the hour-mark as the towering centre-half rose highest to meet Crump’s corner and headed past the stranded Everett.
Four minutes later, the Blues got their fifth and final goal of the game, with Thomas netting her second of the afternoon. Cossey cut in from the left and delivered the ball into the path of Thomas, who burst through uncontested and finished with great composure.
Town XI: Fagg (GK), Ball (Small), Cooper, Arnoup (Petley), Pannifer (Moore), Welton, Crump (c), Craddock, Cossey, Thomas, Downey (Campbell)
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