31st October 2020
It’s back to Vitality Women’s FA Cup action this weekend (2:45pm), however fans will have to wait for the magic of the cup as Cheltenham host a Portishead Town behind closed doors.
The visitors, sitting high in the league below Cheltenham, have been scoring for fun in recent games, however Cheltenham themselves enter the clash having found the net eight times in their previous two games, a 3-0 victory over Brislington in the Second Qualifying Round and an emphatic 5-0 drubbing of Poole Town Ladies down in Dorset.
Manage Tom Davies believes these two results will be integral for his side avoiding a potential banana skin as £600 prize money hands in the balance.
“It’s a big impact for everyone,” Tom Davies admits. “I don’t think there is anyone at this level maybe bar one or two that aren’t reliant on it to a degree.”
Davies went on to add: “It’s really important for us and it’s really important for everybody. It means that we can build in terms of off the pitch stuff as much as we can, so we want to progress for financial reasons for the club.
“And we want to make sure that we are building and promoting in the right way. But equally for the players and staff- the FA Cup is important to everybody. Everybody wants to make their own story and we want to make ours so this is a big time for us all.”
TEAM NEWS
Cheltenham, determined to avoid a fall at the final hurdle, are expected to maintain a strong squad, with the return of Alice Kempski, Lauren Ellis and Sarah King who missed last week’s trip to Dorset.
The inclusion of extra substitutes for this year’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup, seven named with a maximum of five used, could also see a return to First Team action for Sam Morris and Sophie Griffiths, after the young winger’s positive debut last week.
OPPOSITION
Enjoying life in the South-West Regional Women’s Football League, Portishead find themselves sitting second in the Premier division, taking maximum points from their opening two league fixtures.
Tomorrow’s visitors started their Women’s FA Cup journey in late September, entering the Preliminary Round and picking up a 3-2 win over local rivals Weston-Super-Mare Ladies.
The First Qualifying Round saw them travel further afield to fellow-SWRWFL Premier outfit Torquay United Women and demolished the hosts with an impressive 12-0 scoreline.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Tomorrow’s game will be the first competitive meeting between the two sides since records began in 2013/14. However, the two teams did face off during a pre-season friendly fixture ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, with The Robinesses coming out on top, 6-0.
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.
