Graham haunts old side as we progress in Women's FA Cup

Kit Graham scored the only goal of the game against her former side Charlton Athletic to send us through to the quarter-finals of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup for only the third time in our history on Saturday evening.

The forward, who spent almost 14 years with the Addicks and scored over 200 goals during that time, stepped off the bench to drill home an excellent goal with 14 minutes remaining to finally breach the visitors’ stubborn resistance.

Charlton, two points clear at the top of the Women’s Championship and managed by Karen Hills – our former manager who spent over a decade with us – didn’t cause us too many problems until the final minutes but we held out to book our place in the last eight.

Robert Vilahamn made four changes to his starting XI that faced Manchester City on Wednesday evening as Becky Spencer, Olga Ahtinen, Bethany England and Luana Buhler – who made her first appearance since the north London derby victory – came in to the team.

We almost made the dream start when Eveliina Summanen got her head to a corner in the second minute but it glanced off the crossbar to safety and in the 11th minute, Celin Bizet’s cross from the right was only parried up in the air by Jessica Gray in the Charlton goal but England could only divert her header just wide.

Bizet fired over the bar on 22 minutes after playing a lovely one-two with Grace Clinton on the edge of the area and we were enjoying plenty of possession at that stage, just failing to carve out that one golden chance. Charlton’s best opportunity of the half came just after the half-hour when Summanen was booked for bringing down Freda Ayisi 22 yards from goal but the Addicks player hit the free-kick straight into our defensive wall.
Two half-chances came our way in the final moments before the interval – Ahtinen’s lob from 30 yards after Gray’s clearance had fallen to her went over the bar before Molly Bartrip’s superb pass found Amanda Nilden free down the left, she played it infield to Shuang Wang but her effort from just outside the area drifted a yard wide.

We made two changes at the break, Jess Naz and Martha Thomas replacing Wang and Clinton but it was the visitors with the first opportunity, Tegan McGowan firing a left-foot angled drive just a yard past Becky Spencer’s far post. A wonderful move down the left almost yielded the opener, Nilden played in behind the Charlton defence by Matilda Vinberg and she cut the ball back for England but her left-foot shot crashed against the crossbar, before Naz worked a yard of space in the 75th minute but her low drive was easily gathered by Gray.

We were completely dominating possession and the opening goal finally came in the 76th minute as two substitutes combined. Amy James-Turner played the ball in to Graham and, although she initially lost possession, a heavy touch from Melissa Johnson presented the ball back to her and she worked it onto her left foot and drilled home a 25-yard drive out of the reach of Gray’s despairing dive.

In the closing stages there was a stoppage after Johnson caught Spencer as our goalkeeper rushed out to smother a through ball, but she was fine to continue and was called upon to make her first save of the game in injury time from Mary Bashford’s 20-yard shot. There were hearts in mouths in the ninth minute of stoppage time though as Charlton were presented with one final opportunity, Beth Roe sending in a free-kick from deep which glanced off Nilden’s head but fortunately went over the bar.

Match data

Goal: Spurs – Graham 76.

Yellow cards: Spurs – Summanen, Naz; Charlton – O’Rourke, Johnson, Barton.

Referee: Lisa Benn.

Venue: Brisbane Road.

Weather: Light rain, light winds, 10 degrees.

Attendance: 974.