My magical day at St James’ Park as Becky’s Mags pull off historic win

This was Becky Langley’s 100^th match in charge of NUFC Women and if that wasn’t a moment to celebrate then the final result most certainly was. There’s always a temptation not to celebrate before a ball is kicked but Langley deserved her presented pre-game accolade and those that followed after a historic win.

She was asked in the post-game press conference for her favourite moments during a five-year spell that has seen her side going from playing in front of family and friends with the players’ having to pay to play to being a full-time professional side playing at St. James’.

Langley picked out three. The first ever game at St. James Park when Newcastle crushed Alnwick Ladies 6 – 1, the 2 – 0 win at Barnsley on the last day of the season to clinch promotion to the Northern Premier Division and then this one taking the Club to a National Final.

Hard to disagree and Sunday’s game was a real belter for all, even Portsmouth I suspect, to savour and remember for many a day, week, month and year to come. Quite simply for The Lady Mags to be standing on the cusp of a league and cup double is awesome.

Make no mistake, Pompey are a good side and showed that in abundance on Sunday. Great character, excellent battling spirit and no small amount of ability. You don’t get to be top of the FA WNL Southern Premier Division without any of those.

That said, United’s Lasses have all that and perhaps a touch more and that in the end was what carried the day. The two sides may well face each other again next season in the FA Women’s Championship as both are in pole position for promotion in their respective divisions.

If they do then this was a tasty morsel to savour and to look forward to for next season. But that’s for another day as we turn the attention back to Sunday.

Pompey undoubtedly started the brighter showing no nerves in front of a superb 22,307 crowd including their own 300+ supporters ringing out the Pompey chimes. United by contrast were nervy and took a while to settle.

The visitors almost snatched the lead inside the first two minutes. A difficult bouncing ball was not controlled by Newcastle’s skipper Amber-Keegan Stobbs leading to Emma Kelly and Ava Rowbotham competing for the loose ball.

It ricocheted off Kelly and put Emma Jones clean through on goal inside the United area. But NUFC keeper Grace Donnelly came off her line quickly to make a superb diving block at the feet of Jones to keep Portsmouth out.

Then Jones turned provider playing an inviting ball from the centre circle into the path of the speedy Sophie Quirk who was in a foot race with Hannah Greenwood. Donnelly though once again taking control of the situation sprinting outside her box to boot clear.

After those early scares United settled down and began to get on top. Kelly’s free kick wide on the left level with the penalty area’s 18-yard line was delivered with aplomb. It found Georgia Gibson rising highest inside the six-yard box but she couldn’t keep her header down.

An excellent United attack down the right saw Kelly find Tyler Dodds who showed great footwork to get away from the defence and deliver a cross that was only half cleared and picked up by Jas McQuade. She found Paige Bailey-Gayle who found Dodds wide right again.

This time the cross was cleared for a corner by Ali Hall. Dodds took it and delivered a great ball into the area where Charlotte Potts rose highest but headed just wide from six yards out. United were beginning to exert the pressure.

Greenwood then nodded a ball down the right to Kelly who played a great first-time ball to Dodds and then got the return pass from the winger and crossed superbly picking out Bailey-Gayle who just couldn’t get enough power or direction on her close-range header and it drifted wide.

All of this inside a frantic opening 15 minutes and just after that period United thought they’d opened the scoring. Another Dodds right-wing corner picked out Potts who made a great run and leap to bullet a header on target only to see Pompey skipper Hannah Haughton make a brilliant reflex save.

A lovely one-touch move on the left from United saw Lia Cataldo find McQuade who in turn found Gibson who slipped Bailey-Gayle in on goal but her left foot shot from an angle and on the turn lacked power and Haughton saved easily.

Another Kelly free kick from 40 yards out was delivered into the heart of the Pompey defence. Potts got up to nod it down where McQuade hooked the ball into Bailey-Gayle but her 12-yard half-volley flew over the bar.

United were pressing but got a reminder of how dangerous Portsmouth were on the counter five minutes before half-time. Quirk playing a quick ball from the left to Jones inside the Newcastle area. She held it up well and laid it back into the path of the onrushing Georgie Freeland.

Freeland’s effort from 18-yards was beautifully struck and on target but once again Donnelly in the United goal was equal and even bettered it with a brilliant one-handed tip over to keep the score line blank as it was when the referee blew for half-time.

Whatever Langley said to her charges in the dressing room certainly fired them up as they tore at the heart of the visitor’s defence on the resumption. Kelly sweeping a ball wide left for Katie Barker. Barker’s cross dropped into the six-yard box where Hall and Izzy Collins got in a tangle.

Collins only succeeding in setting up McQuade with a shooting chance just inside the box. Her first-time effort was on target but unfortunately for United, Haughton was alive to the danger and did superbly to tip the effort on to her cross bar.

It was all Newcastle now. Kelly’s ball into the box being cleared to the edge by Hall’s header. Dodds picked the loose ball up and curled it inches wide of the far post from 20-yards with her left-foot. It seemed only a matter of time for United now and so it proved on 52 minutes.

Yet another Dodds corner was pin-point and Potts pulled away from a crowded six-yard area perfectly to meet the ball with a stunning 8-yard header back across the goal that gave Haughton no chance as it nestled in the bottom corner. A deserved breakthrough for Wor Lasses.

It was almost two five minutes later. Gibson’s close control was mesmerising as she found Kelly. The midfielder’s floated curling cross to the back post found an unmarked stretching Barker just fail to get a telling touch which would surely have been decisive.

Newcastle looked in the mood for more but were rocked back on their heels when Pompey equalised on 64 minutes with a neat move that ended in a great finish with a hint of controversy. Rowbotham exchanging passes in midfield with Leeta Rutherford before slipping Jones in on goal.

The striker looked offside but she didn’t hesitate and with Donnelly sliding out to meet her dinked the ball over the United keeper in fine style from an angle just outside the six-yard box to bring her side level as the Assistant’s flag stayed down.

United though were straight back at it and almost replied with a ‘worldie’ from McQuade. Gibson found Barker who produced a magical spinning turn to get away from the defence before finding Bailey-Gayle.

The United striker lifted the ball into the path of the late breaking McQuade who volleyed it inches wide from about 14-yards out with Haughton rooted to the spot and mightily relieved to see the ball fly wide of her far post.

Bailey-Gayle then did well to win a ball just outside the Portsmouth box and stab it into Stobbs inside the area. United’s skipper picked out Barker with a lovely lay-off but Barker couldn’t believe her eyes as her superb 16-yard effort crashed back off the underside of the cross bar.

United were playing all the positive football and Portsmouth were hanging on. A neat triangle between Dodds, Kelly and Gibson saw the latter find Bailey-Gayle inside the box. The striker turned beautifully and struck her effort well it taking a deflection off Dani Lane slowing the trajectory.

It allowed Haughton to make another very smart save diving to her right to keep the ball out. There were vociferous appeals from all the United players that the ball had deflected off Lane’s hand and Langley in the dug-out joined in the protests but the referee waved away the justifiable penalty claims.

Back came United for more as the game entered the final ten minutes. McQuade wide left found the advancing Stobbs with a neat pass. From fully 25-yards she drove a low shot through a crowd of players which the clearly unsighted Haughton didn’t react to at all as it flashed inches wide.

Then with time ticking down the Portsmouth cross bar added another moment in its bid to get the visitor’s player of the game! Stobbs found Gibson inside the area and she nudged the ball into the path of Bailey-Gayle who’s deflected chip beat Haughton but once again bounced back off the bar.

Gibson was first to the loose ball with a brave header under pressure that wasn’t firm enough and this time Lane used her feet to clear the ball virtually off the goal line. United looked as if they were going to have to settle for extra time when the moment happened.

Right on the stroke of the clock ticking to 90 minutes bedlam reigned across St. James Park and delirious celebrations commenced as Wor Lasses snatched a late dramatic goal to take the lead. It started with Kelly picking out Barker wide left with a superb cross field pass.

Barker controlled well, steadied herself and delivered a superb ball into the middle where Gibson timed her run to perfection getting in between Hall and Lane to glance a lovely header from inside the six-yard box past the helpless Haughton.

What a moment and once again Georgia Gallowgate Gibson struck at that end keeping her record up of scoring in every competitive game for United’s women at The Cathedral on the Hill. The trademark knee-slide and her teammates deluging her with congratulations showed how much it meant.

The fourth official had literally just held up the board showing 7 minutes of additional time to be played. You could have expected United to be nervy but they kept playing and managed the game well until virtually the last kick.

Into the eighth minute of those final seven, a final Portsmouth flourish saw Rutherford play a ball over the top of Newcastle’s defence. Rowbotham got on the end of it and looked poised to break Geordie hearts.

But, no, there was Player of the Game Charlotte Potts covering across and making a superb last-ditch tackle to clear the danger. The final whistle signalling the start of the joyous celebrations as ‘Sweet Caroline’ boomed out of the St. James Park speakers.

It’ll be Hashtag United of Essex who are one place below Portsmouth in the Southern Premier Division in the final at Luton’s Town Kenilworth Road in March for Wor Lasses. Hashtag defeating Halifax 2 – 0 in the other semi-final. But for now, we all need to relax and breathe again.