Moneyfields Women twice came from behind to take their FA Women’s National League Plate second-round clash with Maidenhead United to extra time, before holding their nerve in a dramatic 5–3 penalty shootout victory to secure a place in Monday’s quarter-final draw.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions for first team manager, Karl Watson and his side. Despite securing progression, the manager admitted it was a performance that left him both relieved and frustrated in equal measure.

“What’s my heart rate like? Right now, I hate football. I hate football,” He laughed — half in disbelief, half in exhaustion. “I ask myself, how can we be so good and then be so bad? Tears and laughter, love and hate — I’ve been through all of them today.”

It was a game that had everything: intensity, drama, and inconsistency. Watson praised opponents Maidenhead for their determination, calling them “dogged” and “in our faces” throughout the contest.

“Fair play to Maidenhead, they stuck at it. On Thursday, we looked like the Harlem Globetrotters, and today we looked like we’d never played football before at times,” he said. “I don’t know if it was tired legs or what, but I’m not looking for excuses. It was just a crazy cup game. Although job done, and we’re through, that’s about the biggest positive I can take.”

With two massive league games ahead, Watson was quick to stress the importance of maintaining momentum despite the unconvincing display.

“We’ve been in a really good place recently. The building blocks have been solid, and our consistency’s been there, which makes today even harder to explain,” he admitted. “The pitch was in great condition, so we can’t blame that. We’ll go away, look at the video, but I doubt it’ll show me anything I haven’t already seen. It was a berserk day — a nuts performance.”

Fatigue also played its part, with the team facing a demanding run of fixtures and limited squad depth due to ongoing injuries.

“Three games in a week, with no training session in between, is tough — especially when you’re not used to it.” He added, “We had a really tough game on Thursday, and maybe that caught up with us tonight. We had a thin bench and not many options to bring on fresh legs. Thankfully, we’ve got players coming back soon, and I think we’ll get the group together at the right time.”

Despite the frustrations, the result means the team continues its impressive cup run and can now focus on the challenges ahead.

The draw for the quarter-finals of the competition is being made live over on the league’s Instagram account (@FA.WNL) from 7:15 pm.