Watford Women 1-4 Ipswich Women: Second-half surge seals first Players Cup win
Ipswich Women picked up their first WSL Players Cup win of the season on Saturday, coming from behind to beat Watford Women 4-1 at The Hive Stadium. It was a trip up to Barnet that started nervously but ended with Ipswich well on top, and it's exactly the kind of response they'll have wanted after a tricky run of results in the competition.
The visitors actually made the perfect start, with Jenna Slattery putting Ipswich ahead inside nine minutes. Watford hit back almost immediately though, Saoirse Noonan levelling things up at 14 minutes to send the sides in level at the break. The second half, however, belonged entirely to Ipswich. Jenna Dear restored their lead on 55 minutes, substitute Princess Ademiluyi added a third on 74 minutes shortly after coming off the bench, and Georgia Timms - another player introduced in the closing stages - wrapped things up deep into stoppage time with a goal in the 90th+2nd minute.
TWTD reports that Town "registered their first Subway Players Cup win of the season, dispatching fellow Barclays WSL2 side Watford 4-1 at The Hive after a dominant second-half performance" (TWTD), which sums up how the afternoon unfolded - an even opening 45 minutes followed by Ipswich taking total control after the break.
The only card of the afternoon came right at the death, with Ipswich's Colette Cavanagh picking up a yellow in the third minute of stoppage time as the game petered out with the result long since settled. Watford made several changes throughout the second half as they searched for a way back in, bringing on Ellie Noble, Zara Bailey, Poppy Wilson, Vera Jones and Phoebie Poole, but none of the alterations could stem the Ipswich tide.
It's a result that will offer Ipswich a timely boost in the Players Cup table, following a run of league cup form that had read LDW across their previous three outings before this win extended that sequence further. Watford, meanwhile, continue to find victories hard to come by in the competition, their own recent form in the Women's League Cup having read LD coming into this one.
For Ipswich, the manner of the win - battling back from an early concession and then stepping up a gear after the interval through fresh legs off the bench - will be the most pleasing aspect as they look to kick on from 19th in the table. Watford will have to regroup quickly and look to put this chastening afternoon behind them. For the travelling Ipswich supporters, though, it was a thoroughly satisfying day out at The Hive, with goals at both ends of the second half settling any nerves created by that early concession in Hertfordshire.
Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
