Halifax FC’s 25/26 FA Cup journey came to an end after a 1:4 defeat to Hull City on a cold, rainy afternoon at Myra Shay.
The Eagles made an electric start to the game. Starting just 6 minutes, a cross-field pass from our midfield tore open the opponent’s defence and managed to land in the penalty area. The goalkeeper tried to grab the ball, but failed. Meg Shaw charged forward, won the ball and put it into the net with a clinical side-foot finish. We took an early 1:0 lead.
Despite conceding early, Hull City made some attempts to hit back quickly. In the 14th minute, they launched a promising attack in our half after a quick transition, but Ellie Dobson made a crucial sliding interception to bring that to an end. Just one minute later, a header from them following a corner from the right was cleared by Anna Phillips on the goal line.
The Eagles refused to be outdone, creating several scoring opportunities amid a fierce midfield battle. The 20th minute saw Annabelle Cass’s slide tackle in our own half send the ball flying 60 yards to the opposite byline, earning a corner for us. A header from her following an outswinger from the right sailed just high above the crossbar.
In the 43rd minute, Anna Phillips’s long pass managed to find Meg Shaw, who rocketed her way to the edge of the box before being knocked down by Hull City’s goalkeeper. The referee awarded us a free kick but refused to show the goalkeeper a second yellow. After that free kick was taken, our close-range effort following a head flick-on was blocked.
Half-time: Halifax FC 1:0 Hull City
Entering the second half, the Eagles showed great determination to expand our lead. The 53rd minute witnessed Bonnie Davies’s header following the diagonal cross from Meg Shaw was narrowly off target. Seven minutes later, Phoebe Hollin won a free kick from the right and delivered it into the box. Emily Burke’s close-range shot was deflected out for a corner. A header from Bonnie Davies following the corner was parried away, with the referee unable to tell if the ball was already beyond the goal line or not.
In the 67th minute, Hull City won a penalty after their header following the free kick hit the post. The opponent utilised this opportunity to bring the game back to level. Just four minutes later, they scored another after a second-phase attack from the corner. The Eagles conceded a quick turnaround.
Hull City created a one-on-one with the goalkeeper chance through a counter after our corner in the 75th minute. However, their shot was saved by Maddie Crosbie before the second attempt was blocked before the goal line by a last-ditch tackle from Summer Horner.
The away team scored again in the 78th and 88th minutes, with a near-post header from a corner and a side-foot shot from a through ball following the counterattack, respectively.
Full-time: Halifax 1:4 Hull City
The Eagles had to swallow this bitter defeat despite creating a considerable number of chances throughout the match. We’ll switch our attention back to the League matches as we will take on Middlesbrough on the road next Wednesday.
Written by Dai Xingzhi
View the match gallery from the game here!