Manager Joe Sheehan and penalty shoot-out hero Sarah Quantrill were on cloud nine after Ipswich Town Women beat Southampton 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra-time to see the Tractor Girls through to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

“I can’t believe it! Incredible! I’m still coming to terms with whatever we’ve just watched for however long,” Sheehan said.

“A competitive game, a right cup scrap. It goes to extra-time and just when we thought we’d scored a really good goal [through Anna Grey], the goalie scores a worldy of a header! The whistle goes, we go into a shoot-out and we win the game. Incredible.”

Reflecting on the match, Sheehan continued: “We knew chances would be few and far between, it would be tight and we’d planned for a shoot-out all week.

“Although the manner of the equalising goal with the last kick of the game taking it to the shoot-out [wasn’t ideal], we’d prepared all week. We knew the order, we knew who was going to take them, so it was almost, ‘reset, we’re happy with this’.

“The way it happened wasn’t ideal but we were confident going into a shoot-out that as long as we were composed, we knew we could win the game.”

He added: “It’s all just a bit of a blur, to be honest, just so caught up in the moment and emotions and, like I say, it’s just an incredible day for us and I’m so pleased.”

Keeper Quantrill, who saved Southampton’s first and fourth penalties in the shoot-out, said: “It’s amazing, what a day! All the girls have dug in so deep, to get this club into the quarter-finals, we couldn’t have asked for much more.

“It was a nervy game, both teams showed their nerves but when we scored that worldy, what we hoped would be the winner and for them to go up and get a corner and then their keeper to go and put her header in the top corner deflated us a bit.

“But credit to the girls, we regrouped and we knew that penalties are 50/50 so anyone can win it.”

Quantrill says the record 1,167 fans played their part in the shoot-out: “For all the penalties, just being down there. As soon as that end was picked, we thought ‘We’ve got this’.

“They were banging on the walls, I don’t think I even heard the whistle for the last penalty. The fans have been amazing, they’ve been with us all season, so just keep coming back and keep supporting us.”

Photo: ITFC Women

Millsey added 21:12 - Feb 27 Superb ladies 💙💙
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Ebantiass added 16:38 - Feb 28 Very well done ladies💙💙💙
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therein61 added 18:49 - Feb 28 Absolutely Brilliant, what a credit to the club you all are.
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