Former Lady Magpie Nicole Dack put Wallsend BC Women ahead from the penalty spot on the stroke of half time, but on a damp evening on North Tyneside, it then rained goals in front of a sizeable crowd as Becky Langley won her first trophy as Newcastle United Women manager. 

Katie Barker had already seen a goal ruled out for offside when goalkeeper Laura Wareham was injured after half an hour, and with no substitute goalkeeper, leading scorer Barker donned the gloves with Anna Soulsby introduced from the bench.

Barker's first action after a lengthy stoppage was to make a superb save, but she was beaten from the spot by Dack on the stroke of half time.

Kacie Elson almost levelled with an audacious back-heel which went just wide but the equaliser did arrive in the 56th minute when United were awarded a penalty of their own, and Rhiannon Gray sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Four minutes later, Newcastle were ahead as Jess Foster picked out Beth Guy, who calmly and unselfishly teed up Georgia Gibson to drill home from just inside the box.

Wallsend refused to lie down, but United gave themselves breathing space when the exciting Elson ran through to make it 3-1, then substitute Soulsby got the fourth with a superb looping header in the 84th minute after good work from Gray.

And in the final minute of normal time, Elson got her second, snaffling the rebound after captain Brooke Cochrane saw her shot saved following a clever short free-kick from Gibson. 

The rain continued to fall heavily as the players were presented with the trophy, but nothing could dampen their mood as they got their just desserts for a five-star second-half showing and ended a second successive disrupted season on a high.

Newcastle United Women: Laura Wareham (Anna Soulsby 35), Brooke Cochrane (c), Courtney Lock, Ellen Packham, Megan McKenzie, Beth Guy, Rhiannon Gray, Georgia Gibson, Kacie Elson, Jess Foster, Katie Barker

Subs not used: Jane Harland, Sharna Wilkinson

Photograph courtesy of Colin Lock/@Tyneside_NUWFC