Newcastle's Megan McKenzie named SSE Women's FA Cup player of the round

Shocked doesn’t even begin to cover Megan McKenzie’s reaction when hearing she was named the SSE Women’s FA Cup player of the round.

But after scoring twice, helping to keep a clean sheet and making a goal-saving tackle or two along the way, it’s fair to say she was fully deserving of the gong after Newcastle United’s upset win over Nottingham Forest.

Few had given the Northern Division One side much hope against their superior opposition in the second round, though the wing back and her team had other ideas.

Scoring after the break, McKenzie’s brace proved the difference not only for the team, but her own personal success too – even if it took a while to come to terms with the achievement.

McKenzie said: “I feel taken aback by this award.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all but it’s a great honour and I’m very proud to say that I’m the player of the round.

“I just didn’t think you could win anything like that in this league, I always thought it was for teams higher up in the divisions so it was massively unexpected.

“I was at work and Andy [Inness, first-team manager], gave me a ring to tell me. I was shocked by it – the team like to wind me up so I thought he was having a laugh.

“But he put on his serious voice and then I realised what was going on.

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Newcastle boss Andy Inness poses alongside McKenzie

“It’s an unbelievable achievement and I hadn’t told anyone about it, not even my parents. I kept it to myself but hopefully taking the trophy home will allow them to be proud.”

McKenzie’s feat was made all the more special by her own admittance at not being a clinical finisher.

Indeed, the brace against Forest doubled her tally for the entire season, with her four-goal haul far unlike anything else she has managed in any other campaign.

Her chance to extend that number could come as soon as Sunday 7 January 2018, with the SSE Women’s FA Cup third round pitching Newcastle against The New Saints.

And while a trip to the Wembley for the Final may be a long way down the line, the 21-year-old is allowing herself to dream, if only for a moment.

McKenzie added: “I don’t score 35-yarders! One of them was a bit of a tap-in, I was in the right place at the back post but the other one was a half-volley.

“I play as a wing-back so getting forward and to that back post as much as possible.

“The FA Cup means a lot to the girls and the club, we take it very seriously and so do the men’s team, but to beat someone from the league above really was a big achievement.

“We always get really psyched before a Cup game. It means a lot to us.

“If we managed to play a WSL team soon that would be an unbelievable achievement for the club and the girls – it’s something we’d love to do but you can’t get carried away.

“You’ve got to take each game as it comes and we’ve got the next round in the first weekend after the Christmas break so we’ve got to be ready.”

Tickets for this season's Final, which will take place at Wembley, are on sale now, priced at just £15 for adults while kids go FREE.