This is the moment Sunderland Women’s Football Club knew they had beaten much-fancied Lincoln City to advance into the quarter-finals of the FA Women’s Cup.
The prize is a 6th round tie at home to Arsenal, who will start favourites but arrive at Hetton knowing they face determined opposition.
In Sunday’s game, Sophie Williams’s second-half goal proved sufficient to maintain a strong cup run in an already good season that sees the girls – who doubtless prefer to be called women – top of the Premier League.
The next picture – after the ad if that gets in the way – shows Sophie in action just after her goal.
Salut! Sunderland thanks Susan Gutteridge – Sunday’s team included her daughter Natalie (good name for a female footballer: my daughter has an H, making her Nathalie, and plays for Acton Ladies) -and the club chairman Maurice Alderson for sorting out these photographs and given permission for their use.
If the sequence holds, the following photos should show the team huddle before the start of the match …
… and although we cannot show a photograph of Sophie’s actual goal, and would be grateful to anyone able to provide a shot, this is Kelly McDougall sprinting clear of an opponent shortly before it was scored.
Then you should see the celebrations on the bench (and a hint of professional restraint by the team manager Mick Mulhern), again – I believe – at the final whistle …
But no photographic tribute to the team would be complete without a picture of the full squad, updating the old line-up shown in our coverage – see our reports here and here – yesterday. Click on any of the photos for enhanced views.
And good luck for March 27: let us show the Gunners that anything the Lads can do (two draws this season), the Lasses can do better.
Monsieur Salut