Chatham Town Women are into the Second Round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup after a 5-2 win over Dorking Wanderers Women last Sunday, with skipper Grace Coombs delighted at her side’s progress not only in the Cup, but also in the way that her side has recovered from relegation last season. 

Speaking to KSN after the weekend’s win, the skipper told us, “Sunday was all about getting through and getting the prize money. I think we had the performance there as well, so we must be very pleased with the way that the game went!” 

“Dorking beat Ashford in the previous round who we struggled against the week before, but we had a game plan that worked, I thought we were clinical and had a lot of good patterns in the game too, creating a lot of good chances. It might have taken a while to get going but every time we “slumped”, I think we pulled it back up again and that’s all we can ask for.” 

Young striker Amelia Woodgate netted three of the Chats goals to maintain a fine run of goal-scoring form, and her skipper was full of praise for the youngster saying, “She has done it all season, and now that she has some confidence behind her as well, we know that if we get her into the right positions she is going to take the chances.

“I think all of her play, her hold-up play, her first touch and getting herself involved in the game, and taking the penalty that completed the hat-trick Sunday is never easy. I think she is doing really well, but she had been doing it all season, and now it is really coming out as we have got to know her more and she keeps doing what she has done all season.” 

“October has been a really frustrating month for us,” Coombs went on, “we came off a run of big games, then we had the Seaward game that was abandoned, the FA Cup game with Horsham, the other Cup game at Sheppey, then a weekend off and then the game against Ashford where we weren’t good, so the preparation for Sunday and a physical game wasn’t ideal, but all we can do is play who is in front of us! It is frustrating, but it is just how the fixtures come out.” 

“We start a run of League games now starting at Chesham this Sunday. We don’t know too much about them, we have been really comfortable at home and have had a good run at home which is really nice,” the skipper admitted.

“I have played at Chesham before and it’s not going to be the easiest pitch to play on. We don’t know what the weather is going to do and it will definitely be a different challenge.” 

“I do quite like playing teams that we don’t know too much about because we just focus on ourselves and then hope the rest will take care of itself. The way that we have been playing and how we have been finishing, we will have every confidence that we can get the job done.” 

Images courtesy of Allen Hollands