06/09/2026
Blyth Spartans Women 3-1 West Allotment Celtic Ladies Football Club
A massive result for Blyth as we secure a place in the second qualifying round of the Women's FA Cup 🏆
Attendance - 172
The day started with a downpour and visions of a very muddy match, but the hard work put in by Peter the groundsman meant that upon arrival, the Croft Park pitch was still in excellent condition. Today was a big day, not only was it the first game of the 2026/27 season, but also the first time in 18 years that the ground had hosted a Women's FA Cup match, with six members of our squad not even born when Spartans made their last appearance in the competition!
The visitors today came with a strong reputation, having previously competed at regional level and being among the strongest sides in the NFL Premiership, the division we were recently promoted into. Whilst we entered the game as slight underdogs, we also had faith in ourselves that after a productive pre season, we weren't going to shy away from a challenge. The rain eased, fans began to take their seats and after the delightful mascots from both teams made their way back off the pitch, we were ready to go.
As expected, Celtic started the game with attacking intent and we had to be on our toes, defending well and denying them any clear attempts on goal. We soon settled and in return, the ball was played forward for Abbie Humphreys, who pulled it back for Izzy Richards, who sent an absolute scorcher of a shot taken from outside the box beyond the opposition keeper, giving us an early lead. Far from being against the run of play, we continued to threaten as Shona Ellis played a ball through for Abbie to carry it down the right flank, firing from a tight angle and hitting the side netting.
Allotment certainly weren't going to let us get away with the early goal and went back on the attack, playing a dangerous through ball into the box, but Emily Rose did well to shield it and hold off the forward just long enough for keeper Amber Cochrane to collect it. Moments later, an Allotment player made a great run down the left and cut inside, firing low, hard and inches wide of goal, though Amber's dive had it covered just in case. With the game being played at a frantic pace, it was back up the other end and Millie Gibson looked to have extended our lead, but the goal was disallowed for an apparent push in the back of the Celtic defender. A few minutes later though she got her goal, getting on the end of a low cross from Destiny Ditchburn and knocking it over the line, though the keeper did her best to smother the shot and stopped it just behind the line.
Even at 2-0 up we were nowhere near being able to relax, as the visitors continued to push forward, playing an attractive possession-based brand of football that meant we had to graft hard to disrupt them. Amber was once again called into action when the ball was floated into our box and an Allotment player connected well on the volley, forcing a great save and not long after a similar move saw a crossed ball headed directly into the hands of our keeper. The end to end football continued and whilst we were twice caught offside, third time was a charm as Destiny knocked the ball over the defence for Izzy ran onto it, but a brilliant bit of defending from the visitors saw a perfectly timed slide tackles knock the ball away from her feet right before she was about to take the shot.
Whilst it was a buzz to be going into the break two goals up, especially with the crowd really getting behind us, we know there was still a lot of work to do and that if given a chance, West Allotment were the sort of side capable of easily overturning our lead. Normally with rolling subs, we would be freshening up our lineup and giving breathers to some players, but FA Cup rules are different, meaning anyone feeling a bit tired needed to find a way to push through.
Soon after the restart, Celtic got into a dangerous position, as the ball was played across the face of goal for a waiting striker, but Amber managed to throw herself on it to prevent the pass reaching it's intended target. The game was now starting to become focused in the middle of the pitch, with a few heavy tackles exchanged between both sets of midfielders, before the game opened up again.
With the ticking clock favouring us, Allotment were working hard to get back into the game as we had to sit a bit deeper to withstand the pressure they were starting to pile on us. A low shot inside the box looked like sneaking inside the post, but Amber leaped to reach the ball and get finger tips to it. Whilst we were on the backfoot, our defence was now getting a hold of things and a series of key blocks from Evie Graham left the visitors frustrated, as they were struggled to find a way through. The pressure finally paid off though when they scored from a corner, knocking it in at the near post to make it 2-1.
After enduring a spell of Celtic dominance, we were once again pushing higher up and almost immediately responded to conceding, as a shot from substitute Madyson Hepple looked to be going in before a sensational diving save from the opposition keeper. Not long after, a promising run from Savannah Hart down the left wing was cut short when she was brought down from behind, resulting in the first (and only) yellow card of the game and a free kick to Blyth. The set piece was taken by Amanda Turnbull, who launched the ball into the Allotment box and Sav came agonisingly close to connecting with the lofted ball in what would have been a sensational goal!
Nearing the final ten minutes of the game, Celtic registered another two shots on goal, both well held by Amber, knowing a draw at full time would immediately take the game to penalties. Rather than park the bus or time waste, we continued looking to play and our two goal lead was restored, when Sav played the ball through to Maddy, who showed strength in holding off the last defender and finished well to put us 3-1 up. Still we couldn't rest, as the visitors kept pushing us hard and after winning the ball from our defence, it looked like they were clear through on goal, only for a sensational recovery run from Astyn Hepple to put her between the player and the goal, clearing the ball to safety. Four minutes of extra time were played out before the final whistle was blown and we had done enough to secure our place in the next round!
The excitement from players, staff and spectators was palpable, as an excellent game of football came to a conclusion and Spartans pulled off a bit of an upset, though far from a 'smash and grab', West Allotment had really shown just why they among the favourites to win the NFL Premiership this season and made us dig really deep to get the win.
A big thank you to everyone who helped make this occasion as special as possible, to the volunteers and fans of both sides who created a thrilling atmosphere. Huge credit to the very vocal away support too, who travelled in good numbers! Given the rain leading up to the match, an attendance of 172 was a great effort and really lifted the performance of the players.
The draw for the 2nd Qualifying Round will be made Monday 1:30pm and we are beyond excited to find out who we play next! On Wednesday we host Heddon United Football Club at Croft Park (7pm kickoff) before travelling to today's opponents in the league on Sunday.
| Jordan Armstrong 📸
