Fleetwood Town Wrens Ladies earned their spot in the next round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup after beating Morecambe Ladies 2-1 in Second Round Qualifying on Sunday.
Dave Butler’s side – who beat Darwen in a penalty shootout in the last round at Poolfoot Farm – went into the Lancashire derby in high spirits, with the Ladies coming into the game after a six-goal thriller against a very experienced Cheadle side.
Fleetwood started out the better side, pressing them from the front and looking a real threat from the off. The Ladies were creating chances, but none were going In, until Lauren Oatley produced a perfect long-range chip, which flew over the Morecambe goalkeeper and broke the deadlock.
The Cod Army went into the break one up and continued their pressing game in the second half, as in the 65th minute, the side drove towards the Morecambe area and earned themselves a penalty after a handball inside the box. Oatley stepped up and slotted home to secure her brace.
Morecambe tried to come back into the game, making multiple substitutions and changing their tactics, launching the ball into the Fleetwood area but the backline were dealing, until one ended up with an alleged handball by a defender. Their forward struck the penalty home and halved the deficit just before the end.
The player of the match was Oatley, who score both of Fleetwood’s goals on the day, but a notable mention goes to goalkeeper Pharyn Ashton, who made her debut on Sunday after a late injury to Ellie Etheridge.