The magic of this week’s FA Cup weekend echoed through a sensational Southampton FC Women’s performance where the only upset was in Reading’s dressing room.
The ringleader was the remarkable Katie Wilkinson who contributed to four of the Saints’ five in their Royal rout as she steered her side towards the promised land of the Women’s Super League.
It was her aerial prowess on both occasions that provided her her first St Mary’s goals since the fifth of November which has lifted her total to eight this season.
Her creativity completed her performance, assisting Sophia Pharoah for the fifth and providing a breathtaking backheel into the path of the on-rushing Ella Morris who couldn’t miss to make it 2-0 to Southampton.
Pharoah also picked up a brilliant brace on hand to dispatch following a ricochet early in the second half and capped the game with a beautiful strike into the top corner to the adulation of 2,731 Saints fans.
Unfortunately for Reading and Ireland defender Jessie Stapleton, the luck of the Irish was reserved for the Saints this St Patrick’s Day, as her defence was continuously picked apart by the home side.
In Humiliation of the already miserable Royals, the Kingsland stand was a wall of jeers for the final ten minutes, beckoning the home side to “shoot” with every touch; the most attention keeper, Kayla Rendell received all game.
Fortune favoured the five-star Saints as promotion rivals Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Birmingham all dropped points, leaving them just one point from the summit of the Women’s Championship.
Manager, Marianne Spacey-Cale has her sights set on bringing Southampton FC Women to the WSL for the first time in their history after just two seasons in the Women’s Championship.
For the Royals, who were relegated from the WSL last season, the future makes for bleak reading; yesterday’s results leave them just two points from the relegation places.
The two club’s head-to-head record epitomises the rise and fall of each respectively. They’ve played four games against each other in history – the first saw Reading win 4-1 at St Mary’s in the 2022 League Cup.
However, this season the tables have been truly toppled; in the teams’ three meetings this season, the Saints have won by an aggregate score of 10-1.
The Royals hope an impending takeover will bring them back to their once-lucrative heights as one of the founding members of the Women’s Super League and perhaps they will find Southampton there.
