FORMER Baxter College student Melissa Lawley has spoken of her delight at winning her first major honour after lifting the SSE Women’s FA Cup at Wembley on Sunday.

The 23-year-old attacker moved from Birmingham City Ladies to Manchester City Women in the close season and played a pivotal role in City’s 4-1 win over her former club.

“It’s an absolutely massive achievement for myself and for the club,” said the England under-23 international. “To lift that trophy for the first time is an amazing feeling.

“Blues will always have a place in my heart but I’ve moved on and wanted to achieve more and win medals with Man City. That’s my aim and this is the first one and hopefully there’s more to come.

“At Blues I think my time was up,” added a player who was with Birmingham for three seasons after starting out with Arsenal and Bristol Academy. “I wanted more challenges and I wanted to win more medals. The experience at Man City has, I think, made me a better person and also a better player.”

Lawley would have been on the scoresheet just after the half hour but for an impressive stop from Birmingham’s German keeper Ann-Katrin Berger and, having swapped flanks with England international Nikita Parris at the break, swung in a 51st-minute corner that England and GB ace Steph Houghton headed narrowly wide.

By that stage the game was won by the big-spending victors, England’s Lucy Bronze heading in a cross from Ireland regular Megan Campbell after hesitation from Berger in the 18th minute and the goalscorer crossing for former Blues favourite Izzy Christiansen to double the lead eight minutes later.

Campbell hung in a cross for two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Carli Lloyd to head in City’s third and it was another Lionesses and GB star – Jill Scott – who added the fourth from a Toni Duggan cross ten minutes from time after Birmingham substitute Charlie Wellings had given the underdogs hope in the 74th minute with a smart finish from Ellie Brazil’s cut-back.

Duggan had replaced Kidderminster-born Lawley in the 56th minute with the winger revealing it had been precautionary after she suffered a tackle on the right foot injured in her club’s European Cup semi-final in Lyon which ruled her out for three matches.