SSFC Women turn tables for County Cup win

History repeated itself on Sunday as South Shields Women and Spennymoor Town faced off - but it was Shields who scored three this time to progress in the County Cup.

Annece Legg proved the difference maker early on as she got two goals - one within 30 seconds of the game starting - and Jade Dryden made it three late on.

The result took Shields one step further in the County Cup, and it will surely inspire some confidence that the lasses can compete for some silverware alongside the league this season.

Spennymoor made a host of changes for the occasion, while Shields head coach Matt Gatiss opted to keep things consistent - Aliyah Ali was reintroduced into the team while Jen Wootten was named as a substitute.

Just 26 seconds into the game Shields took the lead. A fantastic piece of play between Becki McMahon and Eve Gatens saw the latter deliver a well-timed cross into the path of Legg, who put it past Sophie Miller.

Player of the match Zoe Norton came incredibly close just 10 minutes later when her header was deflected off the crossbar and away from danger.

Shields were unlucky not to be two up at that stage, but it was only a matter of time before they were.

Gatens weaved past a couple of Spennymoor defenders before Miller spilled her resulting shot, giving Legg all the time and space she needed to drill it over the line.

Monica Innes later pulled off an amazing slide tackle to prevent a surefire one-on-one for the hosts with Scarlett Gowans in the Shields net.

The lasses continued to search for a third, which came on the stroke of full-time thanks to substitute Dryden, who was brought on in the second half to replace the aforementioned Gatens.

A couple of injuries saw Neve Jackson taken off for Spennymoor, while talisman Gatens struggled after an untimely challenge after the break.

Jaz Elliot-Wood’s resulting free-kick went just wide of the post, though it was always an ambitious strike from that range.

Dryden’s final-minute delivery was something of a whirlwind moment for Shields. Sophie Greener worked a delightful through ball to her, and she made no mistake.

It was a composed finish which came out of the blue to seal the deal for the lasses, who now await their third round opponents in the County Cup for a chance to win some silverware.

Next up in the league is another trip to Yorkshire as Shields prepare for two double-headers in the coming weeks, this time against Bradford City before meeting them at home a week later.

As ever, more details will be shared on the club’s social media channels closer to matchday.