Moneyfields Women win Southern Region Subsidiary Cup – but wait goes on for the biggest prize of all

Will Stubbs holds the trophy and poses in a Moneyfields Women team picture after the team's final win over Abingdon.

Moneys have applied for promotion to the Women's National League for the first time, yet a decision on which teams are granted 'upward movement' as part of a restructure of the women's game has not been made.

Karl Watson s side were crowned Southern Region League Subsidiary Cup winners thanks to a 2-1 comeback win at Abingdon.

It was a showpiece occasion featuring the teams who had occupied the top two places in the Premier Division when 2020/21 was curtailed - Abingdon having won all four of their games and Moneys winning both of theirs.

A dressing room selfie after Moneyfields had won the Southern Region Subsidiary Cup at Abingdon.

But that trophy win will mean very little if Moneyfields are not promoted to National League level.

Watson said: 'It’s a nervous week now. We’ve been told we’ll know by the end of the month, which should be the case because from June 1 is when you’re allowed to start talking and signing players.

'We should know by the end of May, so fingers crossed.

‘We’ve done all we can by beating Bournemouth the other week - we just keep winning games.

‘If you keep winning they can’t really say no, can they?

‘There should be no reason why it shouldn’t be us but who knows what the powers that be will decide.'

Goals from Ciara Boylan and substitute Paige Seeley in the final 25 minutes ensured Moneyfields cancelled out Tiana Russell-Cartwright's opener for Abingdon - the first goal they had conceded in the tournament.

Watson was relieved to see his side end the season with some silverware from a supplementary cup competition where Moneyfields were drawn away in all their five rounds.

He added: 'It’s very nice (to have won the cup) because it had become a bit of a slog - a bit of a farce.

'We managed to get drawn away five times on the trot so in a regionalised cup where we were supposed to be cutting down on travel because of Covid, we managed to clock up about 680 miles.

'We managed to draw Abingdon away at their place in the final.

‘Everything was stacked against us, everything has been made to be as difficult as it can, lots of miles and lots of travel.

‘Our girls are amazing, they have a way of finding how to win even when they don’t play well.'

Moneys had reached the final with victories at AFC Bournemouth Development (3-0), New Milton (4-0), Woodley (9-0) and AFC Bournemouth 1sts (0-0 - won on pens).