Oxford City Women were beaten 4-2 at home by Sholing this afternoon in the League Cup in a superb game of football that entertained a crowd of 162 at Court Place Farm.

Goals from left-back Emma Donohoe and Ellie White were not quite enough as the visitors sealed the win with two quickfire goals just before half time.

The visitors took the lead after just three minutes when Molly Pinnick beat the offside trap and a low finish from a tight angle beat keeper Keira Maskell to give the away side an early lead

City responded immediately and were level five minutes later when Donohoe let fly from 25 yard to level with a fine strike

Back came the visitors and after 15 breathless minutes they were ahead once more when Catherine Browning ended a fine move with a well-taken second goal to make it 2-1 to the visitors and it then took a good recovery from Maskell to keep it that way as chances continued to appear at both ends in an amazingly open first half.

An equaliser was inevitable and on 23 minutes it came from White as she drove across the face of the box before firing home to make it 2-2 with a typically clinical finish.

Livewire Emily Harris and captain Georgina Tayman both went close, the latter hitting the bar from distance, but after an evenly-matched 40 minutes the away team then stole a massive advantage with two goals in the closing minutes of the half to lead 4-2 at the break and change the way the game had been played.

Now the visitors sat a little deeper and invited City to break them down.

Billie Bough-French almost did it with a powerful free kick,  then went even closer with a 30-yard drive that crashed against the bar with the keeper watching and hoping. Harris fired wide  and it became a siege but when White dragged an 87th minute penalty wide, having been fouled for the spot kick, City's last chance went with it and in this cup, as we know, the Sholing must go on.

CITY

Maskell, Hume, Latimer, Bough-French, Donohoe, O’Leary, Tayman, Walecki, Bradley, E White, Harris

Subs: Kingdon, Edwards, Le Beau

Att: 162

Report by Chris Williams, pictures Darrell Fisher