Lucy O'Brien netted the only goal of the game after just three minutes as Town booked their place in the last 16 of the Women's FA Cup with a narrow 1-0 victory over Newcastle United at Kingston Park Stadium yesterday.

The Tractor Girls got off to the perfect start inside the first five minutes and got themselves ahead through a moment of real quality from O'Brien.

After drifting in from the right, O'Brien let fly towards goal and rifled her shot high over the head of Grace Donnelly from the edge of the area.

Town soon took control of the half but chances were few and far between as Newcastle dug in to repel the Blues' threat. O'Brien's goal was the only memorable moment of a first-half that was very hard fought by both sides.

Town looked to gain a foothold after the break as Anna Grey raced away down the left on a couple of occasions but wasn't able to create an opening for the Blues.

Town continued to control the game and weren't giving up on trying to kill the game off with a second goal. With 20 minutes remaining, Natasha Thomas played Zoe Barratt into the area and the Town forward looked to tee up the arriving Bonnie Horwood but the hosts just about cleared the danger as Horwood was about to strike.

As the game entered its latter stages, the 2,700 strong crowd began to roar on the Lady Mags in their attempt to throw the kitchen sink at Town.

Paige Peake was called into action after Newcastle had broken into the area, making a vital intervention as the shot was about to come in. Moments later, Sarah Quantrill was forced into her first save of the game, denying Rachel Lee at her near-post.

The Lady Mags put Town under immense pressure in the final minutes of the game but the Blues' resistance wouldn't be broken as they held on after a heroic defensive stand against a Newcastle onslaught.

The result sees the Tractor Girls equal their club record in the competition by reaching the fifth round for the second time in three seasons. Previously, they faced mighty Manchester City in the last 16.

Town will learn who awaits them in the next round this evening, with the draw live on Talksport2 at 7.30pm.

Town: Quantrill, Hughes, Peake, Smith, Lafayette, Grey (Hubbard), Horwood (c), Robertson (Egan), O'Brien, Barratt, Thomas.

Unused: L. Jackson, A. Jackson, King, Brasero-Carreira, Bryant, Biggs