7th December 2019
After a week off, following a dominant display in the Gloucestershire FA County Cup against Bristol Ladies Union FC’s Development side, The Robinesses return to action against Chichester City Ladies in the Second Round of the FA Women’s National League Plate.
Their last outing saw CTLFC pick up an expected one-sided victory, 13-1 in the Second Round of the GFA County Cup, against a young BLU Development side that never stopped working, despite the landslide scoreline. The defending champions will now make the trip to Pucklechurch Ladies in February.
Manager Alex Cheal is looking forward to the cup clash, and welcomes the opportunity to face a team The Robinesses haven’t faced recently, as well as the chance to test themselves against a team from a higher level.
Team News
Cheal sticks with his standard strong matchday squad although there are some changes.
Mai Butler is unavailable, along with Charlotte Criddle. However the squad sees the return of defender Kirsten Rendall, winger Ella Hitchcox and midfielder Alice Kempski. Louise Fensome, who was absent for the County Cup clash two weeks ago returns to the side.
Opposition
It’s been a tough season so far for Chichester City Ladies, who are yet to pick up a win in their FA WNL Southern Premier league campaign. Usually a fierce competitor and successful third tier team, 2019/20 has seen Chichester City Ladies fall from last season’s third place finish to being bottom of the table this season as we approach the Christmas break.
Their only league point so far has come from a 1-1 draw on the road to Gillingham. Their only wins this campaign come from cup football, beating Swindon in the FA WNL Plate First Round, 4-2 after extra time, and a comfortable 4-0 victory in the quarter-final of the Sussex County Cup.
Previous Meetings
Fixtures between these two teams go as far back as 2014/15, at the inception of the then-Women’s Premier League (now the FA WNL). An opening day clash at Petersfield Park saw the visitors run away with the points in a 4-1 victory. Catherine Reilly Cheltenham’s only scorer on the day.
The reverse fixture, just two months later, saw a continuation of Chichester’s dominance, this time 5-1 with Rhona Donaldson grabbing the single goal for Cheltenham.
In 2015/16, little would change as the teams would meet at the tail end of the season. Chichester would secure a 4-0 victory as Cheltenham were brushed aside at Petersfield Park.
The return fixture, two weeks later, would see the hosts clean up with a 3-1 win through a Chloe Parks finish and Lucie Challen brace. Rosie Herbert finding the net and sparing Cheltenham’s blushes somewhat.
The 2016/17 season would see the two clubs go head-to-head again on the opening day. Goals from Lauren Cheshire, Chloe Dowdell, Cherelle Khassel and Jade Widdows securing a 4-0 victory.
The scoreline would be repeated at Petersfield Park, as Charley Wilson-Blakely, Cherelle Khassel complimented two from Jess Lewry. Chichester would go on to win the FA WNL Division 1 SW undefeated, with 19 wins from 20 games.
Directions and Entry prices
Location: The DN Fire Stadium, off St. Peter’s Close, GL51 9DX. (Find it on Google maps here)
By car:
Turn off Tewkesbury Road onto Moors Avenue and take the first left, onto St. Peter’s Close. On St. Peter’s Close, keep left and go around the outside of the housing estate. Follow the road round and the car park and entrance to the ground are directly in front of you.
By bus:
The C, 41 and 42 buses from Cheltenham town centre all stop at The Range, or The Moors, opposite the Lexus dealership on Tewkesbury Road, both of which are a short walk from the stadium.
Entrance to Petersfield Park is £2 per adult, with children, Cheltenham Town FC season ticket holders and Robins Trust members getting in for free.
Match programmes are available for £1 to those receiving free entry, or free of charge for paying adults.
Match Coverage
For real-time match coverage, follow our twitter page, @CTLadies. You can also check the club’s Facebook and Instagram for half time and full time scores.
