Brackley Ladies Gains a lot of respect
Brackley Town Ladies – 1
K Rogers 16’
Gainsborough Trinity Women – 2
H Pettit 45’ M van den Heuvel 90’ + 2’
8th March 2026
Brackley Town Ladies were moments away from taking another higher-level opponent to penalties in this East Midlands Women’s Regional League plate semi-final, but an exquisite finish in injury time saw Gainsborough Trinity snatch victory at the death.
Whilst it was a cruel ending for the Northamptonshire side, they had been repelling wave after wave of blue attacks for the majority of the second half, but they just could not hold on to emulate their quarter-final shootout success over Rotherham United just two weeks previously.
The visitors had to dig deep after falling behind early on, restoring parity just before the interval spurred them on to dominate the remainder but it took until the dying embers for Lauren Crellin to feed in Matilda van den Heuvel on the right of the box and she unleashed into the far top corner.
The Lincolnshire outfit had the first big chance of the game when Maisie Tatham delivered into Lauren Cassin, but resident custodian Robyn Tillyer made herself big and managed to block, Saints were almost in when Lydia Avann was released upfield only for a raised flag to intervene.
But just past the quarter hour mark, those in red & white were celebrating when a long pass from Kailey Hardy saw full back Shannon Carte roll towards keeper Laura Parsons, but her intended route out to Alice Hill was intercepted by Kira Rogers who thumped into the unguarded net.
It could have been even better on their next attack as the goal scorer, from the acutest of angles, chipped over outstretched arms only for her effort to rebound off the crossbar with defenders on hand to gratefully hook to safety.
There was another big chance on the half hour as another Hardy lump forward set Kiera Isaac ahead of Carte, but an awkward bounce took the ball away from her which gave her marker the opportunity to make up the space and slide in to divert just as the number nine shaped to shoot.
At the opposing end Cassin fired into waiting gloves from eighteen yards out whilst Isaac working hard for Saints got between a defender and keeper, but her reactive strike eventually blocked by an outstretched boot with extra bodies close enough to clear the danger.
But from there the EMWRFL Premier Division side began to up the pressure, a Natalie Thomas drive had Tillyer comfortably falling to her left to gather before Hill crossed inches behind team mates arriving in front of goal.
But as the break beckoned, Heather Pettit started and finished the move that bagged the equaliser, she released Crellin down the right who drove forward into the area and pulled back to her colleague who arrived unmarked to curl inside the near post.
Trinity were on the hunt immediately after the interval, an early Thomas drive was denied by the feet of Tillyer, her next effort from twenty-five yards forced the shot stopper into a flying two handed save to her left.
Izabelle Anderson went for the top corner from a set piece but only found waiting gloves; as the contest ticked towards a close Gainsborough made a switch between the sticks with penalties seemingly inevitable, but there was no need as van den Heuvel struck in added time. F/T: 1-2
Competition: East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Plate Semi-Final
Venue: St. James’ Park
Kick-Off: 1:30pm
Surface: Grass
Programme: OLP
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For latest East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Division One South table & remaining fixtures please: click here
For latest East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Premier Division table & remaining fixtures please: click here
For a pictorial view of St. James’ Park, the home of Brackley Town FC + match action, please: click here
Note: 3 pages (238 images)
