Albion Women secured passage into the quarter-finals of the Birmingham County FA Challenge Cup with a convincing 7-1 win over Sutton Coldfield Town on Sunday.
The Baggies started stronger in the tie, as Ali Miller and Ellie May put the home side in the driving seat at the halfway stage.
Second-half strikes from Miller, Simran Jhamat, Fran Orthodoxou, Rhianne Oakley, and an own goal ensured a comfortable victory in the end Siobhan Hodgetts-Still's side.
Albion have more cup action to look forward to next weekend when they face Worcester City in the second round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup at the Valley Stadium (3pm).
Hodgetts-Still named an unchanged side to the XI that were narrowly beaten by Nottingham Forest last weekend. However, the returning Orthodoxou and new signing Maddie Oliver were named on the bench to bolster the boss' options.
The Baggies started with attacking intent and made it count as Jhamat flicked a through ball into the path of the overlapping Miller, who drilled into the bottom corner to hand Albion the advantage.
Sutton soon got one back through tireless work from Phoebe Hopwood to return the tie to level terms.
Albion were keen to regain their lead, and Hannah George’s inviting cross caused havoc inside the visitors’ penalty area, leaving May to beat the onrushing Maddie Elbro to score the Baggies’ second.
The home side wouldn’t stop their pursuit of further goals, as Miller’s chance for a brace was bravely cleared by Elbro. Taylor Reynolds then poked a corner goalwards just before the halfway mark, only for it to be cleared off the line.
Albion soon added a third after the break, as Miller secured her brace in almost identical fashion to her first, this time slamming into the bottom-left corner.
A fourth added additional polish to a dominant display, Jhamat tapping into an empty net after Ellie May found her with an impressive cross. Not long after, a deflected cross found its way into the Sutton net to continue the Baggies’ scoring streak.
As the game dwindled out, Albion found a sixth through the returning Orthodoxou, whose looping header evaded the helpless Elbro. Then substitute Oakley found space in the box before rifling a low shot through the Sutton goalkeeper’s legs.
Albion: Miller; Brown, Reynolds, Green (Oliver 61’), George (Haughey 75’); Rabjohn (Orthodoxou 61’), Watkins; Jhamat, Warner, Miller (Mahmood 61’); May (Oakley 75’).
Substitutes: Rhodes-Andrews, Evans.