A DOMINANT Burton Albion put six past Bewdley Town Ladies at Hillsfield to advance to the third qualifying round of this season's Vitality Women's FA Cup.
Despite a strong, battling start, the first opportunity came for the visitors through a long-distance free kick. A strike was sent in on Alice Langstone’s goal, but the effort went just wide of the post.
Some nice work from Alice Lilley to keep possession for the Brewers saw a chance come for Emily Gillott in the eighth minute. Lilley laid the ball off to Gillott on the edge of the box, but her first time strike was saved well by the visiting goalkeeper.
The chances kept coming thick and fast for the Brewers, with several good chances between the 10th and 20th minute. Charlotte Jarvis had a headed effort denied after connecting to a Ruby Evans corner and Hajrah Mahmood broke quickly down the left-hand side and smashed past the goalkeeper but into the side netting, before Gillott had another effort from the edge of the box denied by the Bewdley keeper.
But a goal was coming for Burton, and it came in the 20th minute through LILLEY, who got her foot onto a fantastic Mahmood cross from a free kick and turned home for the opening goal.
It wasn’t long before the Brewers had a second, as GILLOTT broke down the right and smashed home, leaving the Bewdley goalkeeper no chance.
LILLEY soon found her second of the afternoon, and the Brewers’ third in the 34th minute, following some nice build-up play from Millie Drinkhall who played a nice lay-off towards the forward on the edge of the box, and Lilley made no mistake in curling into the top right-hand corner of the net.
Mahmood looked to add a fourth for Burton just before half-time with a speculative effort from distance, but the Bewdley goalkeeper was equal to her strike and caught well once again.
HALF-TIME: BURTON ALBION 3-0 BEWDLEY TOWN
The second half started in similar fashion to the first, with Brewers dominance. Ciara FRAY found Burton’s fourth in the 58th minute with a stunning strike. Drinkhall did well to keep the ball in play down the left-hand side, and attempted a cross into the Bewdley box, with the cross being cleared well by the defence but only towards Fray, who hit a sweet first-time strike into the top-left corner of the net - a sensational finish from the defender.
MAHMOOD finally got her goal in the 84th minute, breaking in behind the visiting defence, with her one-on-one effort being denied by the goalkeeper, but she was quick to pounce, slotting home for Burton’s fifth goal of the afternoon.
Burton added a sixth in injury time, as Gillott’s shot was blocked by a defender on the line, but her clearance struck the goalkeeper and went into her own net.
FULL-TIME: BURTON ALBION 6-0 BEWDLEY TOWN
The Brewers return to action next Sunday with an away trip to Solihull Sporting in the West Midlands Regional League Premier Division.