Swindon Town Women’s hopes of progressing in the National League Cup were cut short by London Seaward as they suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat in Walthamstow on Sunday.
Two goals either side of Annabelle Colston’s strike on the hour proved enough for the hosts to win the determining round tie, which boss James Lally used as an opportunity to rotate his squad.
Town goal scorer and last week’s hat-trick hero Colston was named on the bench for the clash, while Rosie Kent was tasked with leading the line at centre forward.
Gipsy Viveash and Jenny Gray made way for Briony Hurd and Ella Harries, with Kat Bach and Becky Donnelly the final rotations for Helena Diaz Butcher and Lucy Durham.
With a number of changes to his starting eleven, James Lally’s side started strongly and came close in the early stages with Kat Bach just missing Tori Taylor in the box to give Town the lead.
Moments later, a counter attack teed up by Becky Donnelly who found Kent, and she cut inside before sending a shot at goal just past the Seaward goalkeepers far post.
However, Town were dealt a blow when an unfortunate early injury for Beth Kelloway forced Lally into an earlier than expected substitutions with Lucy Durham introduced.
The two early chances for Swindon would be rued though, as Seaward netted first. A deep cross into the box found Samantha Lanza and she kept her composure to shoot low past Emily McGrogan.
Lally made his second change at the interval with Gypsy Viveash coming on for Steph Bent as his side went in search of that all-important equaliser, but it was still evading them.
However, the tempo changed when Colston, Diaz-Butcher and Jennifer Gray were brought on in a triple switch, as they replaced Hurd, Bach and Rose.
Just minutes later, a counter attack headed by Diaz-Butcher and a pinpoint cross would find Donnelly, but a good save by the Seaward keeper denied a certain goal.
However, the leveller would arrive shortly after, with Diaz-Butcher and Colston combining well and the latter slotting the ball past the keeper with her left foot.
But unfortunately for Town, the game was turned on it’s head once again as a rather bizarre cross-come-shot from Rea Laudat looped over McGrogan and hit the post, with the Town keeper making what appeared to be a good save from the rebound, however the referees assistant adjudged the ball to have crossed the line and the goal was awarded with twenty minutes remaining.
Chances were few and far between as the clock ticked down, and the tie saw one last clear cut chance with Lucy Durham finding Colston on the edge of the area, but her effort was well blocked by a Seaward body.
That proved the last action of the tie as Town’s National League Cup journey came to an abrupt end, with the focus now turning to the League Plate.
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