Essex County Cup First Round

 Sunday 5^th October 2003

 Chelmsford City 7 – 1 Maldon Saints

 City dominated Sunday’s County Cup tie at Barnston from start to finish.

    Emma Ridings intercepted the ball from the kick off before setting up Shirley Cole but her shot went inches over the crossbar.

    However, from the resulting goal kick, Cole brought the ball down and volleyed it into the roof of the net.

    Minutes later, Paula Drane netted from close range after the Maldon goalkeeper had parried Ridings’ shot.

    City made it 3 – 0 on 20 minutes, Lucy Garrett’s cross being clinically finished by Drane, and on the stroke of half time, Drane made it 4 – 0 after the keeper failed to hold a Cole shot and Drane pounced on the loose ball to drill it home.

    City were caught napping at the start of the second half and Maldon pulled a goal back.

   City responded almost immediately, Ridings intercepted a weak goal kick and sent a cross into the box where Drane controlled the ball before calmly netting her fourth goal.

    In the 86^th Minute, Gemma Bell played a ball over the top of Maldon’s defence into Drane’s stride.

    She initially lobbed the goalkeeper but was alert enough to notice the ball was going wide and followed up to tap it from an acute angle into the net.

    A minute later, a deep cross was met by Drane who claimed her sixth goal of the game and thus secured City a second round tie at Maldon Town.

Chelmsford City: Pearson, Marshall, Vernon (G.McPhee), Bell, Binks, Garrett (Cornish), Brownlie, Cole (Alder), Drane, Ridings and Wells.