FC CHIPPENHAM Ladies captain Chloe Giles praised her teammates for the persistence they showed as they knocked out Solent Ladies of the FA Women’s Cup in the first qualifying round.

Giles and her troops needed extra time to book their place in the next round, with the game at Stanley Park finishing 4-3 to the hosts.

Manager Adam Henry’s side rushed into a 2-0 lead thanks to a double from Caitlyn Brooks, before being pegged back by the visitors.

In the second half, Solent took the lead for the first time with two goals to make it 3-2, but with 15 minutes to go it was all square after Kathryn Kilgour found the net for Chippenham.

The hosts dug deep in extra time to score again though Kilgour, with five minutes to spare, in what was their first FA Cup outing.

Central midfielder Giles says it was a great occasion for the club to play in the tournament.

“It was the first time FC Chippenham had been entered, (so) realistically we weren’t supposed to win the game,” said Giles.

“Our manager (Henry) said to us if we go through, we go through, there is no pressure and we had to enjoy the experience because there were a lot of people watching.

“The support carried us through, we have only had pre-season but to have our first game back and play two hours of football, it was impressive.’’

Chippenham will now host Bournemouth Sports in the second qualifying round, which will take place on Sunday, September 17.

“Bournemouth beat Keynsham, so hopefully we will be able to beat them too.” added Giles.