It is a measure of NUFC Women’s season and expectations that last Saturday’s 2 – 1 defeat in the FA Women’s National League Cup Final to Essex based Hashtag United was felt so strongly in the aftermath of the game.
Clearly United had gone into the game at Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road expecting to win and were bitterly disappointed and even heartbroken in the case of some of the players who were genuinely upset at the final whistle.
But Cup Finals can do that to you and despite Newcastle being firm favourites, The Tags showed that favourites can be beaten if you prepare right and execute your game plan in the right way.
That isn’t a criticism of Becky Langley, her coaching staff and her players. This United force have been meticulous in their planning for all games this season. But on this occasion they just faced an opponent that perhaps were just that little bit more ready.
On the day Hashtag deserved their win. They went behind early but came back from that setback to level quickly and then strike a winner with 18 minutes to go. In between United scoring and the final whistle the Southern Premier Division side edged the game.
Their game plan clearly to nullify Wor Lasses potent attack and normal crisp decisive creative passing and movement working to perfection. Then give the chances they took them splendidly to complement their hard-fought commitment and desire.
Langley conceded at the end of the game that Hashtag deserved their win. She felt that her side had not been at their best and hadn’t really got going. Perhaps she thought they had played the occasion and not the game but she had no real complaints.
Just a feeling of devastation that her side had not performed at their usual high standards but gave Hashtag credit for that in the way they had performed. Her feeling of disappointment perhaps compounded that her side had chances to win but couldn’t take them.
Langley also had time to praise the magnificent travelling support with over 3,700 United fans making the journey to Kenilworth Road. She thanked them for their loyal unrivalled support and they way they keep pushing the boundaries and are always so ready to give their all to urge the team on.
She hoped that her side had given them something to be proud of. After all it’s not every day that a team makes it to a Cup Final and ultimately she felt really sorry that her side had not been able to deliver the silverware on the day to reward such a phenomenal following.
Langley though had a message for her players that success is not just measured by wins. This season has been a memorable one so far and can still end in glory. But she felt that the way her players have coped with all the circumstances thrown their way is commendable.
The switch to full-time professionalism and navigating personally and together a lot of obstacles and challenges along the way and still being in a position where the ultimate goal is more than likely to be achieved.
Her pride in her players and coaches and the way they have battled together all season and progressed throughout the long campaign being evident in the way she spoke. She thanked them all and reminded them that there was still a lot to play for.
She concluded by saying that her side have four more Cup Finals to play and that they had to use the pain of the defeat and having to watch Hashtag life the Cup as fuel to ignite them to lock into the final push for a back-to-back promotion.
In a nutshell that is what it’s all about. Ask any supporter, official, coach or player if they had to chose between Cup glory or promotion to the Championship what they would go for and the answer will and would be almost 100% in favour of The League.
Not that they would have turned down a double had they had the chance!
For the record, The Lady Mags took the lead on 16 minutes when Malika Apinda got her position all wrong inside her own six-yard box and could only slice the ball high into her own net past the stranded Frankie Angel in the Hashtag goal.
The Tags levelled within 3 minutes. Macey Nicholls getting on the end of a cross into the area to volley home virtually unmarked from 8-yards out giving United’s keeper Grace Donnelly no chance.
The winner came on 72 minutes. Sammy Rowland somehow getting to the by-line inside the Lasses box and being able to cut the ball back into the danger area where Phoebe Williams was ‘jenny-on-the-spot’ to crash the ball into an empty net.
United did have chances throughout the game and after both Hashtag goals with Jas McQuade, Katie Barker, Georgia Gibson and Paige Bailey-Gayle all going close. But either misdirected efforts or the heroic efforts of keeper Angel kept them out.
So, it was not to be for United’s Lasses but beaten and not bowed was the message and this is a side that over the last three seasons has always, always bounced back from setbacks.
All connected with The Club are confident they can do that again and with the support from the terraces behind them will look to do exactly that this coming Sunday, 31st March, at Kingston Park when Liverpool Feds come to Toon for a 2:00pm kick-off.
should have given u tubers a bit more respect instead of expecting to win 🖤🤍🖤🤍
Sneck(Quote)