Preston North End Women’s FA Cup run came to an end at Chatham Town Football Club as they were defeated 1-0 by Gillingham Ladies.
A late Jade Keogh goal was enough to defeat PNE, who now focus on the league, the County Cup Final and the FA Women’s Premier League semi-final.
However it could have been a totally different game if a goal was given in the opening minute.
Katie Anderton tapped in from the middle of the area but the assistant referee ruled her offside, much to the displeasure of the former Blackburn Rovers player.
PNE’s goalkeeper Danielle Brown was then forced into making a wonderful save as she tipped over a powerful effort from Danielle Carlton.
Brown was in action again in the 13th minute and once again she denied Carlton from scoring.
The ball fell kindly to Carlton in the area and she unleashed a strike which looked like it was heading in before Brown acrobatically tipped it over.
Opportunities in the first half continued and North End had two chances to score before the half-time whistle as Sophie Jones and Anderton went close to opening the scoring.
First Jones was played in by Keeleigh Savage, but she couldn’t direct her effort goalwards before Anderton was denied with a great save by Gillingham’s Faye Baker.
Brown was called into action early in the second half as she pulled off another good save to deny Charlotte Gurr.
The ball fell to Gurr in the area after a deflection off Melissa Ball but Brown was on hand to produce a great reflex save to palm the effort out for a corner.
The only goal of the game came in the 76th minute as Gillingham’s Keogh scored a free kick from outside the area.
Keogh bent the free kick over the wall and into the top corner to leave the impressive Brown with no chance of saving it.
Despite late pressure by PNE, Gillingham hung on to the lead and the Lilywhites were eliminated at the fourth round stage of the FA Women’s Cup.
PNE: Brown, Taberner, Bayley, Carroll, Forshaw (Forster 45), Walker, Anderton, Watson, Jones (Grocott 72), Ball, Savage (Charlesworth 83)