Durham forward Emily Roberts admitted that she was proud of the efforts of the team after they held top flight side Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw at Maiden Castle last night in the group stage of the FA Women’s Continental League Cup.
Villa took the bonus point courtesy of a 4-2 penalty shootout victory, however, both sides advance to the quarter-finals with Gemma Davies side being group winners and Durham securing their place as one of the two best runners-up.
Forward Roberts netted Durham’s goal early on in the game and when speaking to FA Women’s Super League Full-Time after the match, she admitted that it was a fluke before going on to praise her teammates.
“I’ll be honest, it was a cross but they all count” Roberts chuckled when commenting on her goal.
“I am really proud of the girls, they put an absolute shift in. We came and gave Aston Villa a good run for their money.
“I thought that we tried to match them in a lot of the areas in the first half and came out at them and gave them a good game.”
With the likes of Chelsea, West Ham United and Bristol City having secured their places in the quarter-finals this week, an away tie for Durham in the next round of the competition could see them face a mammoth midweek trek. Roberts has her fingers crossed that the draw will be kind to The Wildcats.
“That would be lovely” she added when speaking about the prospect of a home draw. “I think a lot of the teams who have got through are far away so hopefully we are at home.”
Goalkeeper Megan Borthwick was excellent for Durham, pulling off a couple of fine saves and keeping out Stine Larsen’s second half penalty kick. Roberts went on to highlight the goalkeeper’s class.
The forward added “That save from the penalty was a crucial turning point.
“She did well to get us out of that situation. She is always brilliant.”
Durham return to action following the international break with an FA Women’s Championship fixture against Blackburn Rovers at Maiden Castle.
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