Durham Women sealed their place in the Fourth Round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup with victory at West Brom.
Skipper Sarah Wilson opened the scoring with a first half header before Eleanor Ryan-Doyle, Lily Crosthwaite, Saoirse Noonan and Becky Salicki extended the advantage after the interval.
It was the Blues’ first game in a fortnight but that showed no signs of rustiness as they began brightly.
Indeed, Durham could have taken the lead within the opening minute as Abby Holmes clipped a fine ball into the path of Beth Hepple whose lobbed strike was eventually gathered by the home goalkeeper before it crossed the line.
West Brom then twice came close through Fran Orthodoxou as the midfielder twice let fly from range – first sending a half-volley narrowly wide before forcing Naoisha McAloon into a fingertip stop.
But as the half progressed, the Blues began to dominate the ball and were creating the better of the chances.
Saoirse Noonan saw a free-kick tipped wide by Lucy Jones before the resultant corner was fired narrowly over by Abby Holmes.
Amy Andrews then saw a shot hacked away by a home defender after her strike beat the stopper – but Durham wouldn’t be denied for much longer.
A teasing Hepple corner was met by skipper Wilson whose glancing header found its way in via the woodwork.
It was almost two before the break, with Poppy Pritchard denied by Lucy Jones before seeing a goal chalked out for offside.
And Durham continued to hold most of the momentum after the break – with Mollie Lambert fizzing a strike wide just moments after the restart after latching on to a fine pass from Hepple.
Noonan curled wide from the edge of the area before Hepple came even closer as her powerful strike from 25 yards came back off the inside of the post.
The visitors would be denied by the woodwork again moments later, Noonan this time sending a shot against hit the outer edge of the upright.
But a deserved second would eventually come just after the hour mark, with two substitutes combining.
Crosthwaite weaved her way into the box from the left flank before squaring the ball for Ryan-Doyle, who applied the simple finish from six yards.
The forward almost doubled her tally shortly after but her 25-yard drive flashed just the wrong side of the post, as Durham continued to ask all the questions.
And a third goal would arrive to top-off that pressure – Noonan feeding Crosthwaite who kept her cool to slot home when one-on-one with Jones.
Andrews was then thwarted by Jones after muscling her way through on goal, but Salicki would add a fifth in injury time as she bundled home from a corner.
That secured Durham’s place in Tuesday’s Fourth Round draw – where the Barclays Women’s Super League clubs join the competition.