New signing Jordyn Galway added creative spark to Camden Town’s midfield [Maren Farra @maren]

THE big clubs are no strangers to hogging the headlines, but when the Women’s FA Cup kicked off on Sunday it was the underdogs who were given their time to shine.

To the backdrop of a distant dream of maybe, just maybe, one day playing against the likes of Arsenal or current holders Chelsea, 208 sides took part in the first round qualifying stage of the prestigious competition.

Among them were debutants Camden Town WFC and north London neighbours Camden & Islington United who both played in, and impress­ively won, their first-ever game in the FA Cup.

More than 200 supporters packed into Wingate & Finchley FC’s Maurice Rebak Stadium to cheer Camden Town on to victory as they beat Hastings United Women FC 3-2 in a five-goal thriller, thanks to strikes from Christiane Assaad, Gemma Clenshaw and Shani McKenzie. Captain Josie Shand led by example as she produced a player-of-the-match performance to help Camden Town earn another home tie in the second qualifying round on October 1, this time against Sittingbourne Ladies.

Town captain Josie Shand (fourth from left) gets the players fired up with a pre-match team talk ahead of the 3-2 victory over Hastings United Women [Maren Farra @maren]

“What a game,” said skipper Shand. “I was over the moon with the support from the fans and our performance. The spirit and fight from them was inspiring. A lot of it stemmed from the preparation, so credit to the coaches, too.

“We wanted to make a point, as a fresh team at the start of the season, that this is only the beginning. To win the club’s first FA Cup game is incredible, especially considering a lot of us are new to the club, myself included.

“My highlight was the applause from supporters at the end – wow! I couldn’t be more proud as captain.”

Chairman Richard Mahoney hailed the support Camden Town received on their big day after revealing a record number of fans had turned out in force in Finchley.

The Camden & Islington United team celebrate their first game – and victory – in the Women’s FA Cup [Andy Gilbert @GilbeyFilms]

He said: “Sunday was a milestone day for the club. Not only did we win our first-ever game in the FA Cup, but we also broke our record attendance with 205 fans turning up to cheer on the team.

“Their support was phenomenal and the atmosphere they created really helped to push us over the line in sweltering conditions.”

The celebrations in the sun were far from over, however, as news filtered through that Camden & Islington “Candi” United had also revelled in the magic of the Cup.

Striker Jade Slater struck twice in a barnstorming 3-1 victory away to Caversham United Women FC. Kay Donovan was also on target as she capped a player-of-the-match performance by scoring the pick of the goals.

Jade Slater after the first of her two goals in Candi’s 3-1 win against Caversham United [Andy Gilbert @GilbeyFilms]

The left-back made a lung-busting, over-lapping run down the wing late on, before gliding into the box where she danced past four players and then placed the ball across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.

“I’m absolutely buzzing to get my first goal for the club,” said Donovan after the game. “To also have been voted player of the match by my teammates is a special feeling. It’s true what they say about the magic of the FA Cup and I can’t wait for the next round.”

Teammate Slater couldn’t hide her delight after breaking the deadlock against Caversham in the second half to earn some impressive FA Cup stats: one game, two goals.

Supporters turned out in force to cheer Camden Town WFC to FA Cup victory [Maren Farra @maren]

She said: “It feels special. We kept our focus and composure for the duration of the first half of the match, so being rewarded in the second half created an overwhelming sense of happiness which I think everyone involved with the game could feel.”

Candi United will be on the road again for their second-round qualifier against Headstone Manor Ladies. Joel Williams, who runs the team alongside Blaine King, said he couldn’t be prouder of his players. He added: “The performance was top quality. We brought in some new players over the summer and obviously they’re still settling in. The players are still learning each other’s game, and how the club want to play, so to put in such an assured, solid display was excellent.

“You could see in the players’ faces that something clicked – it feels like it could be a pivotal moment in our season. It was definitely the highlight of my coaching career so far.”