‘We stuck at it’ – Furness pleased with Durham’s shootout victory in the League Cup | OneFootball

Durham head coach Adam Furness was pleased with how his side stuck to the task as they defeated Sheffield United 4-3 on penalties in the Women’s League Cup at Maiden Castle on Sunday afternoon.

Monique Robinson fired Sheffield United ahead early in the second half but Eleanor Ryan-Doyle soon levelled matters for Durham. Following a 1-1 draw in normal time, The Wildcats went on to collect a bonus point after winning the resulting penalty shootout 4-3.

When speaking to the media after the match, Durham boss Furness said that he was pleased with how his side battled in difficult conditions in the North East.

“Conditions didn’t help with the wind swirling all over the place, it really makes it difficult to play with any consistency,” Furness said.

“We made a number of changes to the starting line-up and it takes the girls a bit of time to get into the rhythm of playing competitive football again. When you throw that in with the windy conditions [it’s difficult].”

“I don’t think it was ever going to be a spectacle but we stuck at it. We fell behind from a counter-attack but quickly got ourselves back into the game which helped. Overall, we came off smiling with a penalty win.”

It was two youngsters that really impressed for Durham. Ella Wilson was excellent at left-back while goalkeeper Anna King collected all of the plaudits in the shootout. Furness praised both players for their performances.

He said “Ella had a fantastic game. First half, she was really combative in her one v ones, started to drive up the pitch and created things on that left-hand side. She had a really good game.

“Anna in goal was pretty solid throughout. We got to the penalty shootout and she came up with Anna King heroics.”

Durham go into their final fixture at Sunderland top of the group and Furness is hoping that his side can get the job done at The Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground next month.

He said “Fingers crossed, we can get through. If we can really put in a good performance at Sunderland, it’ll help us get out of the group and then it’s eyes on the draw and hopefully, something really exciting.”

Durham return to action after the international break when they travel to Birmingham City in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Third Round. That tie takes place on Sunday 8 December 2024.