Chesterfield FC Women booked their place in the final of this year’s Derbyshire County Cup with a commanding 5-1 win against Staveley Miners Welfare on Sunday afternoon.
Goals from Jess Waplington and Sophie Bain had put Chesterfield in the ascendancy until Staveley netted just before the break.
However, Chesterfield ran away with the tie after half-time as Waplington and Evie Carter each secured a double, with the Spireites seeking a repeat of last season’s County Cup success.
After the game, Pete Jarvis was relieved as his side overcame a first-half scare to progress to the final. He said: “I’m happy with the second half, not so much the first. We made hard work of it, but eventually we got through and did the job in the end.
“We were far too sloppy after the [injury] break in the first half. We kept giving the ball away and making simple mistakes. We weren’t that great when we started the game, either, to be honest. But in the second half, we did a lot better.”
After the 22-0 victory in the previous round, it was expected that the Spireites would produce another dominant display today against a Staveley side two divisions below.
And it got off to the perfect start when Waplington fired home after just five minutes.
Elin Morin’s in-swinging corner landed perfectly with Waplington, who powered her header past the helpless goalkeeper.
The lead was doubled with 19 minutes played, and the tie already looked a forgone conclusion.
It was another set-piece, this time a deep free-kick that was flicked on by Amy Nowell to Bain, who again headed in from close range.
The momentum that the Spireites had built was halted shortly after, when a Staveley defender was on the receiving end of a serious injury.
The players were asked to leave the pitch while she received treatment, and after play resumed, the momentum shifted.
Staveley enjoyed their most fruitful spell of the game, and just four minutes before half-time, they halved the deficit.
Megan Martin fired a powerful effort from the edge of the area that went over Paige Johnson’s head and into the back of the net.
After the break, Chesterfield came out with renewed energy and soon regained their two-goal cushion in the 49th minute.
Waplington left two defenders in her wake as she raced down the left wing to deliver an inch-perfect cross to Carter, who made no mistake from the centre of the box.
It was all one-way traffic from this point as Waplington again came close when she thundered an effort off the upright.
Soon it was four when Carter grabbed her second on the hour-mark; this time it was Abbie Staples, the provider on the left wing, whose cross was swept home by the forward.
Two minutes later, and it was five and game over.
Waplington again proved elusive for the Staveley defenders and fired home from a tight angle, which the keeper could only stand and watch.
And five minutes from the end, Staveley’s frustration boiled over as Martin was issued a red card after being booked for two rash challenges on Staples.
This was the final act of the game as Chesterfield booked their spot in the County Cup final for the second year running.
Next up for the Spireites is a crucial league clash against second-placed Loughborough on March 1, where three points would go a long way to securing the league title for Pete Jarvis’ side.
