Gillingham Ladies retained the Kent Women’s Cup for a fourth year on the trot with a 5-3 win over London Corinthians.

Simon Ratcliffe’s side came back from two goals down to lift the trophy once again after an entertaining game at Maidstone United’s Gallagher Stadium.

An Ashlee Hincks brace along with goals from Emma Tune, Louise Lorton and an own goal were enough for the Medway side to come out on top.

London had the first corner of the Final but it was the Gills Ladies who forced the early chances – Ellie Manning having a header cleared off the line; Ashlee Hincks shooting wide and Emily Lyons sent London keeper Courtney Harvey skidding across the surface to save well.

As the half wore on so the Gills chances kept coming. Hincks again was denied by a fine block from Harvey, before Emma Tune shot at the keeper.

Such was the pressure, it was surely just a matter of time before the Gills scored! But then totally against the run of play London took the lead as a long free kick into the box was nodded down by Adele Keech for Emily Hart to open the scoring on 20 minutes.

Five minutes later it got even better for the London Corinthians as they doubled their lead. Gillingham couldn’t clear a corner and the ball found its’ way to Hannah Titchener, whose fabulous ball found Katherine Long unmarked on the edge of the box and she drilled the ball past the helpless Courtney Shanly in the Gills net.

Back came the Gills and halved the deficit a minute later when Hincks this time got the better of the London keeper Harvey as she rolled the ball past her from the edge of the box after being found by Lauren Phillips for the game’s third goal in eight breathless minutes!

The equaliser continued the entertainment arriving ten minutes from the break as Tune powered home an unstoppable header from the edge of the box to convert Lorton’s pinpoint delivery from the right.

The drama continued through to half time with Keech’s drive from 30 yards beating Stanley before coming back off of the right post and away to safety, as London came so agonisingly close to regaining the lead.

The Gills took the lead two minutes after the break and it was a heartbreak for London and keeper Harvey as Hincks’ vicious inswinging corner had the desperate stopper clawing the ball onto the under side of the bar.

Conceding a goal like that would have demoralised most teams, but London came right back and on 52 minutes levelled again. London intercepted a loose ball in midfield, and Hart took control, and sent the most majestic 30 yard lob beyond the despairing Shanly in the Gills net to equalise at 3-3!

 

Back came the Gills again and Lorton was fed in behind the defence wide on the right and her cross come lob from the angle of the box looped into the net at the near post, and Gillingham lead for the third time.

It was a lead that they doubled decisively just past the hour. Tune brilliantly won the ball just outside of the box and as the ball ran to Hincks she added to the many glorious goals seen at the Gallagher Stadium this season by curling the ball into the top corner with poor Harvey absolutely stranded.

Substitute Hannah Riddock bounced a header off of the Gillingham bar on 73 minutes but with many of her team mates tiring and cramping as the temperature dropped, the London side were now really up against it.

Phillips was unfortunate not to add to the Gills tally as she stuck out a foot in a melee from a corner only for Harvey to gratefully fall on the ball.

In the last minute, Harvey did well to deny a Gills attack outside of her area and was relieved when her clearance went straight to Lorton who fired just wide from just inside the London half.

When he spoke to KSN after the game, the London Corinthian boss Bill Shaw (his right foot encased in a “Beckham Boot” told us, “we’re delighted with the girls – seeing the way that the girls played against a side two levels highers and we’ve done so!”

“It’s great for any side to get to a Cup Final, and we’re no different – we can do it again in the League, and we’ve still got another Cup to go for…”

Simon Radcliffe the Gills boss, was naturally delighted. “When you consider that we lost nearly a whole team to Brighton at the start of the season, it’s terrific that we’re here tonight.”

“And it’s shown just how far some of these girls have come too. They’re still learning and it’s been a great journey too, and now we’ve got some silverware too.”

“Full credit to London – they made it tough; early on especially; but in the end I think we were that little bit fitter and that showed in the end.”

 

LONDON CORINTHIANS – Courtney Harvey, Kayla Murphy (Claire Williams 84), Chanel Richards, Lauren Wallace, Alex Fagan (Hannah Riddock 63), Hannah Titchener (Kristi Nunnick 76), Adele Keech, Izz Michalski, Emily Hart, Megan Mansfield, Katherine Long.

Sub not used – Claire Jenner

GILLINGHAM LADIES – Courtney Shanly, Lauren Williams, Ellie Manning, Emma Tune, Emma Michelmore, Emily Lyons, Louise Lorton, Charlotte Long, Lauren Phillips, Ashlee Hincks, Sophie Brown

Subs not used – Charlotte Thurston, Chloe Cavannagh

Referee – Shane Brown
Assistants – Paul Franks and James Finch
4th Official – Steve Roots

 

Pictures supplied by Gillingham Ladies.