Albion 1 Birmingham 2: WU19s beaten in PGA Cup final

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Birmingham score extra time winner to secure cup.

Charlie Hanson

2026-04-25T17:45+01:00

The starting XI. 📸 by Simon Davies.

Our women’s under-19s were beaten 2-1 by Birmingham City in the Professional Game Academy Under-21 Cup final on Saturday.

Taylor Warren grabbed the opener in the second minute of first-half injury time, but the Blues found an equaliser in the 92nd minute through Roni Molendo-Payne. Defender Lucy Day then nodded home in extra time to complete the comeback and secure silverware for Birmingham.

Albion had claimed wins over Bristol City, Southampton and Arsenal to reach this stage of the competition and certainly took confidence from that run as they dominated proceedings at Loughborough University Stadium.

Taylor Warren's first half goal set them on the way to victory. 📸 by Simon Davies.

They did however struggle to cut through Birmingham in the early exchanges, but Warren was making things tick for Albion behind their frontline and nearly teed up the opener when she played Isabelle Ranger in after half an hour, although keeper Lily Felgate raced off her line to get there first.

At the other end, Lucy Powis should have done better for the Blues when she looked to round off a counter-attack after 38 minutes, but her tame effort from 15 yards was comfortably held by Brighton keeper Silvana Miranda.

Taylor Warren responded fastest in the box to fire home the opener. 📸 by Simon Davies.

With the half-time whistle about to be blown, Brooke Burton was denied from six-yards when she looked set to open the scoring, but Albion would find the breakthrough moments later when Warren reacted quickest to the loose ball in the box, after having an an initial shot from the edge of the area blocked, and squeezed her effort past Felgate.

The second half was more even, although Albion's Isobel Kandak should have done better with her header from Warren's cross with ten to go when she sent it back across goal instead of towards it at the back post.

It certainly would have made the final ten additional minutes more comfortable had she scored with Brighton then punished for not doing more with their possession. Molendo-Payne tapped in after Miranda had done well to keep out Kimoya Foster's low drive, forcing the game into extra time.

Birmingham would take the lead for the first time on the afternoon as Day headed past Miranda in the 100th minute and the keeper did brilliantly to keep the scoreline at 2-1 as she tipped away Foster's powerful strike from ten yards. Scarlett Manship hit the upright as tried to beat Miranda at her near-post, with Albion welcoming the whistle for half-time of extra-time.

Day would prove to be a hero at both ends of the pitch as she cleared Burton's shot off the line after Felgate had punched only as far clear as the edge of her own box.

That would prove enough for Birmingham to seal the win, despite Albion's best efforts to find a late leveller.