Over the past couple of seasons the Vitality Women's FA Cup has not been particularly kind to Royal Wootton Bassett Town with consecutive disappointing defeats at the first hurdle. However, Bassett made amends for that recent record as they thrashed Middlezoy Rovers, scoring six unanswered goals to convincingly book a place in the third qualifying round.

Bassett now stand just a win away from the first round proper - a stage the club have never reached before.

And, although the team were strong from front to back in their visit to Somerset to face Middlezoy, they ultimately owe a great deal to Libby Davies' sensational performance for the thumping nature of their victory.

Davies set up Bassett's opener just after the quarter hour mark, turning her marker before squaring to Hannah Gulliver to slot home.

She then went on to score five times in the second half as Bassett put Middlezoy to the sword.

Davies' first came on the hour as she thrashed a drive into the bottom corner after the Middlezoy defence stood off, allowing her to advance forward unimpeded.

She brought up her hat trick with two fine individual efforts. After dancing around three defenders, she shot in on the rebound having seen her initial shot saved. Davies then sent two defenders the wrong way with a neat feint, opening up enough space to allow her to fire home.

Davies' fourth - and Bassett's fifth - came when youngster Ellie O'Nions' picked the forward out with a precise cross into the box and she proceeded to pick out the top corner with an emphatic shot on the turn.

The scoring was then completed in the last minute when captain Laura Jefferies, who extended her record of having played in every Women's FA Cup fixture in the club's history - a streak that stretches back to the 2012-13 campaign, picked out Davies with a fine pass and the deadly forward made no mistake.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Sunday 2nd October 2022 at 18:36