Women top group in Conti Cup

Millwall Lionesses 0 Reading Women 5

READING clinched top spot in their Conti Cup group with a 5-0 thrashing of Millwall.

Kelly Chambers’ charges are now unbeaten in eight games since losing on the opening day of the season and will be seeded in the quarter-final draw.

It took a while for the Royals to find the breakthrough against lower league Millwall before Brooke Chaplen found the net to open up a half-time lead.

She scored again after the restart with Rachel Furness

(2) and Lauren Bruton also on target in the rout.

“We’ve got five goals, which is pleasing, and we kept a clean sheet so we can’t really do much more than that,” said midfielder Remi Allen.

“Millwall were difficult to beat, especially in the first half. They’re tough, they’re aggressive, they came at us and tried to press us.

“We did struggle a little bit but we were patient and stuck to our game plan and the goals started to flow.

“The whole team played well, Furney (Rachel Furness, pictured) scored two and set one up, so she did well.

“I think the whole team performance was pleasing.”

Needing just a point to ensure they would top the group, which also included Arsenal, Reading were frustrated until the 38th minute.

Moments after Millwall’s Rianna Dean had been denied by a brilliant Molly Bartrip block, the Royals broke and took the lead when Fara Williams fed Chaplen to tuck home from close range.

The advantage was doubled seven minutes after the restart through in-form Furness, who

also netted for

Northern Ireland last week, before Bruton slotted in a third.

Furness then netted Reading’s third goal in the space of 13 minutes to completely put the game beyond doubt and Chaplen added a fifth in the closing stages.

Reading are back in league action on Sunday with a trip to struggling Yeovil Town Ladies (12.30pm).

READING: Moloney, Jane, Pearce (c), Potter, Rowe (van den Berg 75), Bartrip, Allen, Furness, Williams (Linnett 54), Bruton (Green 75), Chaplen.

Subs not used: Earps, Morgan. Goals: Chaplen x2 (38,85), Furness x2 (52,65), Bruton (60)

MILLWALL: Quantrill, Alexander, Robe, Brooks (Wotton 80), Butler, Nicol, Horwood, Mason (Wynne 58), Hincks, Devlin (Gaylor 52), Dean. Subs not used: Taylor, Giddings, Rutherford, Cowan.

Referee: Wayne Cartmel

Attendance: 192