Ilkley women bow out of the FA cup at the first hurdle

On a rainy afternoon, Ilkley succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against a much superior Chesterfield side who are currently two leagues above, so they should be proud of their performance despite the result, writes Evan Seaman.

The visitors started brightly and broke the deadlock after the first 20 minutes after a mistake from Ilkley’s defense which allowed Chesterfield to attack and tap the ball home.

Shortly afterwards, they doubled their lead when they took on the shot on the edge of the box before hitting the bottom corner.

As the second half went on, both sides were starting to tire, and the rain gradually got worse which meant nothing much happened towards the end of the match.

The attendance at the MPM stadium was 173, which is far more than the usual crowd, which highlights how the club is developing their status in the football pyramid.

The player of the match for Ilkley yesterday was goalkeeper Reya Wilks for her shot-stopping ability which will surely be a boost to her confidence.

This result means Chesterfield will be hoping to take this into their league fixtures to try and push for promotion, whereas Ilkley will be looking to consolidate in their new division.