Debut delight at the double for Crawley Wasps

Chanelle Gainsford celebrating her goal / Picture: James Boyes

Wasps youth graduate Chanelle Gainsford, 18, and former Chichester forward Ami Martins were both on target in a 4-1 win over a young Lewes development squad.

Lottie Turner, 18, was also handed a senior debut, giving a good account of herself as she partnered experienced club captain Naomi Cole in midfield.

But it was fellow teenager Gainsford who earned the plaudits, picking up the Skin:genius player of the match award following a goal and a solid defensive display alongside first-teamer Ellie Russell at centre-back.

Ami Martins, Chanelle Gainsford and Lottie Turner, who all made their first-team debuts

Wasps were expected to advance against Lewes’s youthful second string and, after former Wales international Emma Plewa had seen a shot saved and Cole had nodded wide, Gainsford struck the opener on 17 minutes, reacting quickest to net the rebound after her initial header, from Rachel Palmer’s corner, had been parried.

Plewa made it 2-0 shortly afterwards after good work from Turner and Immy Lancaster, before the Rookettes pulled one back through Skye Bacon as she fired in from the edge of the box.

Cole then missed by inches as she attempted an audacious shot from the resulting kick-off, before Russell touched in the skipper’s corner just before half time.

Martins – whose previous appearance in the competition had been against Wasps for Chichester in last season’s final – emerged from the bench to add her name to the scoresheet, pinching the ball from a defender before slipping it home.

Lauren Graves came on in goal to relieve Megen Lynch and did well to deny Bacon from close range as Wasps saw out the win to book a semi-final against either Chichester & Selsey or Eastbourne United AFC.

Wasps: Lynch; Nash, Russell, Gainsford, Palmer; Talbut-Smith, Cole, Turner, Jackson; Lancaster; Plewa. Subs (rolling): Graves, Green, Martins.

* Wasps’ league game at Keynsham Town, plus the reserves’ trip to Oxford United and the Dev Squad’s home game with Newhaven, were all postponed on Sunday. Although Crawley remains in tier two, a number of the club’s players and staff live in areas of Surrey and London which now come under tier four restrictions. As such, Wasps have opted to postpone all football activity, including youth training until at least December 29.