Norwich City Women put on a dazzling display in front of a record attendance at The Nest on Sunday, February 19, hitting five past King’s Lynn Women in the Harrod Sport County Cup quarter-final.
The Canaries were understandable favourites going into the game if league status was anything to go by, but the opening stages on the pitch could have argued otherwise as King’s Lynn emerged compact and comprehensive.
Though Norwich were on top for large parts of the early stages, King’s Lynn did well to limit the home side to long-range efforts and crosses as the usual style of fast, attacking football was proving difficult to achieve.
Todd and Symonds both tried from difficult angles on a number of occasions, to little avail. It took until the half-hour to show fracturing in the King’s Lynn defence. Alice Parker looped in a deep cross for a flying Mary Croft at the back-post who saw both the ball and herself cannon off the post and into the side-netting, both unscathed, thankfully.
It was much the same for the away side, whose only real chances of the first half both came from distance and caused Jess Harper little trouble.
Then came the breakthrough. Parker, who notched three assists during the afternoon, found the run of Ellie Smith with a lovely ball over the top, who cheekily lobbed the ball home over a helpless Walford in the King’s Lynn net.
Just six minutes later and Walford turned hero, denying Liv Cook from point-blank range with a smothering save to draw a close to the half.
The second half commenced as it had concluded, with Walford making another astonishing save to deny Megan Todd on 49 minutes.
All of a sudden, everybody in yellow and green had set their sights on goal, as Natasha Snelling, Smith and Eloise Morran all tried their luck in attempt to find the two-goal cushion. But it was Katie Knights who would breakthrough and open her season account, side-footing the ball into the bottom left corner on the hour mark.
A procession of changes allowed the likes of Ella Gambell, Summer Ward and Rosie George some much-deserved minutes, and to a great degree of success.
Ward stung the palms of Walford with a sweetly struck effort from range on 80 minutes. The subsequent corner was then bundled in by fellow substitute Gambell, who nodded in a Parker cross.
The clock struck 90 and the job looked to be done. But Todd decided she wasn’t finished.
In the last minute of regulation time, Todd rattled the post with an effort before the ball landed perfectly at the feet of Snelling, who was then bundled over in the box. Todd lined up the spot-kick and remained the coolest person at The Nest to slot home and make it four.
Just minutes later it was five! Parker notched her third assist of the game, putting another corner-kick on a plate in the penalty area for Todd to double her tally and make it five for the hosts with the last kick of the game.
Norwich City Women will find out their opponents for the semi-final of the competition on Monday, February 20 with the tie set to be played on Sunday, March 19.
The side will be in action again on Sunday, February 26 when they host Cambridge United at The Nest.
Norwich City: Harper, Parker, Larkins (Ward 65), Todd (Gambell 65), Smith (Todd 81), Russell (Morran 46), Knights, Symonds (George 71), Cook (Snelling 46), Flye Croft
King’s Lynn: Walford, Newcombe, Clarke, Green, Sands, Rawlings, Imanalijeva, Porter, Nche, Hopkins-Duckhouse, Skinner
Subs: Cullins, Ward, Sansom
Attendance: 405
HT: 1-0
FT: 5-0