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Camden Sports - by STEVE BARNETT
Published: 29 January 2009

Arsenal on track for treble glory

FA Cup: Fifth Round
Middlesbrough 0, Arsenal 4

ARSENAL Ladies are still on course for a domestic treble after a flurry of second-half goals saw off a battling Boro side in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Despite a poor first-half display the cup-holders were unlucky not to be in front at the break after midfielders Jayne Ludlow and Kim Little both struck the woodwork.
The Gunners finally made the breakthrough on 54 minutes when Helen Lander slotted the ball past the keeper from close range following a goal-mouth scramble. Little gave Arsenal some breathing space three minutes later, finding the bottom corner with a stunning 25-yard strike.
Lander put the tie beyond Boro’s reach when she headed home her second from a Rachel Yankey corner, before substitute Karen Carney added a fourth late on to book a place in the quarter-finals for Vic Akers’s side.

Gunners fear the worst as Carney heads for Chicago

ARSENAL have confirmed that Karen Carney will leave the club after agreeing to join the American league side Chicago Red Stars.
The 21-year-old England international (pictured) will join up with her new team-mates at the end of February in preparation for the new Women’s Professional Soccer League, which gets underway in April.
Arsenal Ladies manager Vic Akers said: “I wish Karen well for her move to Chicago Red Stars. She knows that the door is always open for her here, however, should she ever wish to return to Arsenal Ladies. It would be a pleasure to have one of my best signings return.”
Carney was a vital figure for Arsenal, playing a key role during the 2006/2007 season when the club celebrated their most successful ever campaign, winning the Premier League title, the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup and the League Cup.
The midfielder, who scored 41 goals in 91 appearances, also played a significant role in maintaining the Gunners’ current unbeaten league run, which stands at 105 matches, with their last defeat way back in October 2003.
The transfer will strengthen Akers’s fears that the end is in sight for Arsenal Ladies after the introduction of the new women’s League in America.
He revealed back in October that he expected a fight to keep his best players when the league kicks off.
Islington-born Akers told Arsenal TV: “It’s a dangerous issue for me because unless we react as a club and as a federation then it could be a bit of a downfall for the game in this country.”
The FA have since revealed plans to launch a new summer Super League in 2010 in a bid to strengthen the women’s game.
And Akers believes it is vital to keep the top talents in the country until the financial benefits from the league kick in.
He said: “I have to speak to the board of directors before we go any further. There are two scenarios.
“One is that they support me all the way and we continue.
“The other scenario is that this could be the end of Arsenal Ladies.”

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