Rovers Ladies lifted their third trophy of the season as for a record 13th time, they won the Lancashire FA Women’s Challenge Cup.
Gemma Donnelly’s side have now done the ‘double treble’ having also defended their FA Women’s Northern Premier Division title, and league cup, crowns.
Their bid for a quartet of trophies will see them come up against southern division winners Coventry City at Valley Parade on Saturday, May 18 in a ‘Champion of Champions’ final.
With Rovers Under-23s having secured the Lancashire Senior Cup on Tuesday with victory over Burnley at the Lancashire FA headquarters, the Ladies came up against their closest rivals, Fylde Ladies.
In truth it was a comfortable night’s work for Rovers who lifted the trophy for a fifth consecutive season after a 2-0 win.
A goal in either half proved to be enough, with Natasha Flint and Saffron Jordan, so reliable in front of goal this season, doing the damage.
Their first chance came inside the opening 60 as Flint crossed for Lagan Makin whose shot was blocked.
Flint was on the search for goals herself, with a powerful 30-yard drive flashing narrowly wide, before Makin again found herself in a good position to connect with a Natasha Fenton pull-back, only to shoot over the bar.
There was a warning at the other end however, with Danielle Gibbons was forced in to a save to deny Emily Hollinshead breaking the deadlock.
The opening goal came in the 15th minute though when Flint, against her former side and on her 50th Rovers appearance, was found by Jess Holbrook and coolly found the far corner.
Flint continued to be at the heart of the action, shooting wide with two long range efforts in quick succession, before her neat flick put Jordan through, but she opted to pass rather than shoot when in a good position, and the move broke down.
Leading 1-0 at the break, it took Rovers seven second half minutes to double their advantage.
Holbrook was again the provider, finding Jordan to fire home with a first-time finish.
Player of the year Holbrook could have had a hat-trick of assists on her 150th Rovers appearance had Kayleigh McDonald’s header from her corner not dropped just wide.
The opportunities kept coming for Rovers as Flint forced a good save out of Brittany Jackson, McDonald fired over and Jordan had a goal disallowed for a push.
Jackson saved from Holbrook before the final whistle but those missed opportunities proved irrelevant for Rovers.
Rovers: Gibbons, Jukes, Taylor, Shepherd, Holbrook, Davies, Fenton, Jordan (Montgomery 85), Flint, Makin, McDonald
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