Women's FA Cup: Ipswich Town's quarter-final run reward for commitment, says boss Joe Sheehan

Lucy O'Brien, who netted Ipswich's winner in the previous round at Newcastle, came on to score in the shootout

Ipswich Town boss Joe Sheehan says his side's historic feat of reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time is reward for their endless effort.

The Southern Premier leaders are the lowest ranked side remaining in the last eight after beating Southampton on penalties in the last 16.

"We all commit a lot, up and down the A12, A14, late nights, all conditions," Sheehan told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"It's for these moments and it makes it all worthwhile."

Ipswich are one of only two clubs outside the top flight to make the competition's last eight, alongside Championship side Coventry United.

Women's Super League teams Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Birmingham, Everton and West Ham complete the quarter-final draw, which will be made live on BBC One's Morning Live show on Tuesday.

"Because players and staff commit so much we need to enjoy the euphoria because we know it doesn't happen very often," Tractor Girls boss Sheehan added.

"You have your good moments, you win games but to pull off wins like this and cup runs like this, we have to enjoy them."

Finally a shoot-out gamble that paid off

Managers' increasingly intricate penalty shootout tactics, usually involving last-minute substitutions in extra time, have garnered plenty of headlines in recent times.

Few more so than at Wembley Stadium on Sunday where Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel's decision to bring on goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to face Liverpool's spot-kicks backfired in their Carabao Cup final defeat by the Reds.

Ipswich have won 14 of their 18 matches in the Southern Premier this season, losing just once

Just a couple of hours earlier, however, Sheehan's equally cheeky gamble of bringing on injured striker Lucy O'Brien and fellow teenager Issy Bryant to take penalties against Southampton paid dividends at the Goldstar Ground in Felixstowe.

"Lucy couldn't play contact because of her wrist so all she was preparing for all week was to take a penalty," explained Sheehan, whose side's previous best cup run saw them beaten by Manchester City in the last 16 in 2019-20.

"For Issy and Lucy to come on in that moment and take penalties one and two, to tuck them away at the age of, what, 17, was incredible."

Sarah Quantrill then saved two penalties to send Ipswich through after her opposite number Kayla Rendell had come up for a corner to dramatically head home an equaliser right at the end of extra time.

"We had planned all week for penalties - as disappointing as it was to concede in that manner, we were prepared for a shootout," Sheehan added.

"We reset brilliantly and scored all of our penalties."