Women's football: Stoke City Ladies win Staffordshire Cup
STOKE City Ladies have won the Staffs FA Ladies Challenge Cup, after beating their own reserve team in the final.
The first team triumphed 5-1 at Norton United as the two sides met in the showpiece game for the second time in three years.
Holly Fowell netted for the reserves, but the first team claimed victory thanks to two goals from Becky Knight and strikes from Chantelle Gallagher, Laura Garside and Claudia Walker.
The first team were in fine form in the build-up to Tuesday's match, having hammered Leicester City 4-0 in the league on Sunday.
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Stoke's first team are 11 points clear at the top of the Midland Combination League with four games remaining.
They could clinch the league title on Sunday if they win at Coventry and other results go in their favour.
If not, they could win the title on home turf next Tuesday when they play title rivals Leafield Athletic at Stone Dominoes (7.45pm).
Stoke are on course to complete a treble this season because they are also through to the final of the League Cup, a match which will be officiated by World Cup final referee Howard Webb.
The League Cup final, against Leafield Athletic, will be played at Stafford Rangers' Marston Road ground on April 28 (2pm).
Joint-manager Andrew Frost said this week's County Cup final was a great advert for ladies' football at Stoke City.
He said: "We are really pleased to have won the trophy. It was a difficult game though which just shows the strength in depth we have here.
"Hopefully this will be the first of three trophies for the team."
Stoke Ladies are one of 33 clubs who have applied for 20 places in a new women's Super League.
The FA are planning to expand the current eight-strong league to a two-tier competition in 2014.
An independent panel will decide in June which clubs have been successful.
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