Norton 'proud' after SSFC Women cup win

Zoe Norton has said she is “so proud” of her team after South Shields Women stormed into the third round of the Durham FA Women’s Cup on Sunday.

The player of the match spoke after Shields defeated Spennymoor Town at New Ferens Park, which included two strikes from Annece Legg early on as well as a Jade Dryden goal near the end.

That result surely made amends for August’s NERWFL League Cup exit to the Moors, while it can also give supporters every reason to be confident heading back to league action that the lasses can put something special together.

“It was an impressive team performance,” Norton said. “It really displays how we have developed from our first competitive game of the season, implementing all the points we work on week in and week out at training.

“We did well to keep possession and then choose the correct times to break the line and go forward which worked really well for us.”

Scarlett Gowans kept her fourth clean sheet in eight games across all competitions this season, which is an incredible achievement when you consider the side kept six clean sheets across the whole of last season.

Norton added: “To keep a clean sheet is always important for us as a team and to do that again today shows how much we’re developing everywhere on the pitch, especially at keeping the ball comfortably around the back and believing that we are good enough to do that, as we are.

“I’m so proud of the girls and how hard we work for each other every game and hopefully we can continue to produce results like this in both the County Cup and the league.”

Up next for the Mariners is another long trip to Yorkshire, where Shields take on Bradford City AFC Women in the NERWFL Premier Division for a 2pm kick-off this Sunday.

It is the first of a double header against the Bantams, and they themselves have endured a mixed start to the campaign even though they sit fourth in the table as they have already made a managerial change.

More details will be communicated closer to matchday on the team’s social media channels.