WOMEN’S MATCH REPORT – By Charlie Bradford
Ashford Town (Middlesex) Women 4
(Cottrell 7, McComb 77, Southgate 81, Crooks 90 +8)
Cray Wanderers Women 3
Main (3, 22 (pen), 32)
The Adobe Women’s F.A. Cup Second Qualifying Round
Sunday 21st September 2025, 3 PM @ The Robert Parker Stadium
It was arguably the toughest task in the short history of Cray Wanderers Women – could the seventh tier, South East Counties Women’s Football League Premier Division side defeat fifth tier Ashford Town (Middlesex) at Ashford for their biggest scalp to date, and with it earn a place in the Women’s F.A. Cup Third Qualifying Round for the first time in their history?!
Well the form book suggested Cray Wanderers would give their higher league opponents a test – Cray Wanderers having scored fourteen goals in their first two competitive games whilst London & South East Regional Women’s Premier Division side Ashford Town (Middlesex) have played five competitive games so far, all of which in the league, where they have had two draws and three defeats.
One thing was for sure though – Cray had nothing to lose and were going in as the underdogs, with that old cliche of “anything can happen in the cup” being a key motivational factor. But it was above all an occasion to relish and for Cray to perhaps showcase themselves.
And they certainly did that in abundance and took a third minute lead when Millie Main fired into the top left corner to give Cray the dream start.
However, four minutes later, Cray’s brilliant start was cancelled out by an Ashford equaliser when Cray were guilty of giving the ball away at the back and were duly punished when Ella Cottrell found the top left corner via the hands of Cray goalkeeper Jess Cox.
Cray nearly were guilty of doing the same thing in the nineteenth minute when this time Jess Cox gave the ball away but redeemed herself to tip Charlotte Close’s effort over her crossbar.
Then, three minutes later, Cray re-took the lead when a handball saw referee Anjam Mirza point to the spot and Millie Main made no mistake in slotting the ball into the bottom right corner.
Cray then managed to double their lead in the 32nd minute when a low ball from the left was turned into the bottom left from Millie Main for her hat trick – the first Cray player in history, male or female, to score back to back hat tricks in the F.A. Cup.
Millie Main then had a further chance to score when her audacious effort to lob Ashford goalkeeper Rose Mylam from 20 yards clipped the outside of the right post before Ashford’s Mhari Crooks struck one of a few shots straight down the throat of Cray goalkeeper Jess Cox.
HT: 1-3.
Both sides had a chance a piece in the opening 25 minutes of the second half when firstly Cray’s Chloe Obando had an edge of the box strike well saved by Ashford goalkeeper Rose Mylam before Cray goalkeeper Jess Cox made a good save at the near left post to deny Ashford’s Tanique Cole.
Then, in the 77th minute, Ashford pulled a goal back when Cray gave the ball away and were duly punished when Orla McComb fired into the top right corner from close range.
Ashford then equalised four minutes later when a corner from the left saw Mary Southgate head home to set up a grandstand last ten or so minutes to the game.
And that ten minutes saw both teams have some incredible chances with Jess Cox forced into a great save for Cray before Cray’s Olivia Gregory came oh so close to giving Cray the win in the third minute of second half stoppage time when her effort from the edge of the box clipped the inside of the right post and somehow ended up going away from goal.
In the end Ashford got the latest of late winners when, in the 98th minute, Cray’s Jess Cox could only punch the ball as far as Ashford’s Mhari Crooks who hooked into the top left corner from six yards out to break Cray hearts.
Overall however Cray gave Ashford an excellent game and can be extremely proud of their efforts against a side two leagues higher.
FT: 4-3.
