Attending a game from the Third Round Proper was looking like it might be where this journey would come to an end (due to other commitments/ location). BUT, the bad weather did its thing and actually enabled me to attend a fixture a week later: I would have been unable to make one from that round should any of the games not have been postponed.
So it was a trip to the ‘Easy Buy Stadium’ (home of men’s side Barton Town FC) to watch Hull City Ladies take on Wolverhampton Wanderers Women. The winners of this tie would go on to face Championship side Reading FC in the Fourth Round. Spoiler alert: this opportunity was gifted to Wolves who actually went on to win the game 2-1!
Hull, who play in the FAWNL Division One North, a tier below Wolves, who (at time of writing) sit 5th in the FAWNL North, were always going to be up against it playing a side in a division above. But this is the FA Cup and anything can happen (and sometimes does)! Unfortunately that wasn’t to be in this case and the game ended 4-1 to Wolves. There was a good crowd (229) who turned out for this one and overall, despite it not especially being that near Hull, there was a great atmosphere.
The next round (Fourth Round Proper) produced some excellent fixture choices, though the one which was most appealing to my partner and I was the lowest ranked side left in the cup: Luton Town Ladies, who were to face WSL (women’s top tier) side Brighton & Hove Albion Women. This is why the FA Cup is so exciting- matches like this don’t come around that often and it’s always great for the lower side to draw a team like this. Providing it doesn’t end up a cricket score, of course. I must admit, I was mega excited for this day in the lead up!
Luton Ladies play at Sharpenhoe Road, home of men’s side Barton Rovers: a 6.6 mile trip away from Kenilworth Road (Luton’s main stadium). And located in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Which to attend this fixture, you would have to make a bit of an effort. And that’s what exactly 1,234 spectators did. I love when there’s a big crowd and a buzz around matches like this and perhaps deep down no one really thought Luton would actually win this game (they didn’t: they lost 0-6), there was still some hope and belief- myself included. Luton played extremely well and didn’t make it easy for Brighton, but by 90 minutes it really came down to fitness/ strength. Regardless of the result, this day will live long in my memory.
And finally, to get us up to date: the Fifth Round Proper. The most appealing match in my opinion from this round was Women’s Championship side Southampton FC Women pitted against high flying WSL team Manchester United. At the time of writing, both sit 4th in their respective divisions. Yes Southampton is a bit of a trek from Sheffield (especially as a neutral), but as previously stated, there’s nothing quite like an exciting FA Cup tie, so we made a weekend of it!
I was fortunate enough to be back pitchside with my camera for this one: an absolutely unforgettable experience. Manchester United’s squad contains several Lionesses players, including the legend that is Mary Earps. It was also a sell out game, with the attendance announced 4,554. The game was played at Eastleigh FC’s Silverlake Stadium, which was almost full one hour before kick off!
There was no cupset in this round either: Manchester United won the game 3-1, quite predictably, although for a short spell Southampton looked like they could turn it around. Manchester will now face WSL side Brighton & Hove Albion Women in the quarter finals.
You can view the full set of photos on my Flickr HERE and the usual ten are below for good measure!
If this blog has got you all excited for the Women’s FA Cup, fixtures for the next round are on the FA website, which you can view HERE.
