Charlotte Murray’s fine strike sent Carlisle United Ladies into the quarter-final of the Women’s County Cup.
Murray’s sweetly-timed half-volley left the Workington 'keeper helpless on 35 minutes to set up a tie with Abbeytown in the next round.
United came into Sunday’s game having not played a game since 8 December against Accrington Stanley.
Workington Reserves entered the clash full of confidence after being unbeaten through the first eleven games of their season and sitting top of the league below Carlisle.
The Cumbrians never looked like they weren’t going to go through to the next round and could have had more to show for their fine efforts.
United started the game strongly and looked a consistent threat on the Workington goal without creating huge chances.
Chances started to flow for the Blues as the first-half continued and Chelsea Norris was unlucky not to put United in front on 25 minutes, but her strike was expertly saved by the opposition 'keeper.
United finally made their pressure pay on 35 minutes, when Sammi Norman’s corner found Murray free in the box, who swivelled to fire her shot into the bottom left corner and put Carlisle one nil up.
HALF-TIME: United 1-0 Workington Reserves
The Cumbrians continued their dominant performance throughout the second-half and looked poised to enter the next round of the cup.
Expert defending from the whole of United’s backline meant that Workington weren’t really given a sniff at Kenyon’s goal.
Any opportunities that Workington created for themselves were constantly thwarted by the backline, in particular Jade Beal, who had another colossal performance at the back.
Carlisle really should have made things more comfortable for themselves on 70 minutes, when Murray’s header from a precise Norris corner somehow didn’t find the back of the net.
This nearly looked like it would come back to bite United, when the Workington striker was one-on-one with Kenyon on 80 minutes, but Kenyon stood tall and expertly palmed away the effort to maintain Carlisle’s lead.
The Cumbrians held on to start off 2025 in a positive fashion and move into the quarter-finals of the County Cup.
A very encouraging performance from United that more than deserved the win it gained.
FULL-TIME: United 1-0 Workington Reserves
United: Kenyon, Defreitas, Beal, Best, Strutt, Porter, Murray, Winter, Norman, Riddet, Norris
Substitutes: Nixon, Scott, Cleasby, Johnson-Dodd
United goal: Murray (35’)
POTM: Louisa Defreitas
