IT wasn’t such a sorry Bank Holiday Monday for the Dowie family after all.
Uncle Iain, Hull’s ‘football consultant’, saw his Tigers finally confirmed as relegated following a 2-2 draw at Wigan.
But his niece Natasha scored a double, including the winner as Everton Ladies scooped Women’s FA Cup glory in a ding-dong final in Nottingham.
Twice Arsenal – five points clear in the Premier League lead – fought their way back into game and despite dominating extra-time, were caught by Dowie’s sucker punch with less than two minutes on the clock.
In front of 17,000 at the City Ground, poacher Dowie gave Everton the lead on 17 minutes with a cool finish low into the corner after her first shot was blocked.
Arsenal hit back with Kim Little’s sweetly struck penalty past Emma Byrne after Rachel Unitt had clumsily brought down Gemma Davis.
But the Merseysiders stole an advantage going into the break when Arsenal’s centre-half and England skipper Faye White put through her own net with a flicked header whilst trying to clear Toni Duggan’s inswinging cross.
You couldn’t take your eyes off this yo-yo encounter and the lead was cancelled out within 10 minutes of the restart.
The prolific Julie Fleeting converted a left wing cross from Rachel Yankey with a fine looping finish that evaded Rachel Brown as Arsenal began to look good for keeping their 100 per cent record in FA Cup finals intact.
Dowie missed a great chance to put Everton ahead in the first period of extra-time when she got a weak connection on her volley, before Niamh Flaherty wasted an even better chance for Arsenal, allowing Becky Easton to block her shot after being teed up by the dangerous Little.
White could have won it as the final few minutes were all Arsenal.
And yet, spot-kicks looming, Dowie broke on the right, beat Byrne to the ball and coolly lifted it in for a winner and Everton’s first ever FA cup success.
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