19th October 2019
After two weeks without a game, Cheltenham Town Ladies return to the field tomorrow to once again play host to Poole Town Ladies, this time in the FA Women’s National League Plate (2pm kick-off).
The visitors come into this one off the back of a heavy 4-0 defeat to league leaders Southampton FC, a result which saw the Dolphins replace Brislington at the bottom of the table but only on goal difference.
The Robins, on the other hand will be out to build upon their only other performance this month, when they ran out 5-0 winners over Brislington Ladies in the SSE Women’s FA Cup. Goals from Charlotte Criddle (39) Georgia Brown (57), Mai Butler (59), Annie Martin (81) and Kerry Bartlett (85) capping off a dominant performance, which produced a scoreline which manager Alex Cheal believes is finally a fitting result to their performance.
The Robins will still need to be on top form and produce a professional performance – something Alex Cheal called on after the Brislington game – due to the lack of game time over the past 14 days.
Team News
Cheltenham are expected to field a strong squad, with only minimal absences.
Bec Panniers resumes her place between the sticks, while Louise Fensome, who would have missed the original fixture, returns to the squad.
Lauren Ellis who was unavailable for the original match returns ahead of Kirsten Rendall.
Sarah King returns to the squad after missing the Brislington game due to England Women’s Talent Identification events, to replace pacy winger Ella Hitchcox.
Opposition
The Dolphins continue their transition that started last season and have found the going tough in the early months of the campaign.
They opened the season at the DN Fire Stadium in a losing effort to the Robins, before taking on Southampton Women in the FA WNL Cup determining round, falling 2-0 to the hosts. This was followed by a 7-1 hammering at home to Exeter who were topping the league table at the time.
Their last outing at the start of this month saw them taking on Winchester City Flyers in the SSE Women’s FA Cup and picking up their first win of the campaign in a 3-2 battle. A 20th minute goal from Danielle Maidment and a Faye Hawkins brace seeing the visitors waltzing into the Third Qualifying Round.
Their last result, on Wednesday night against Southampton FC saw them fall 4-0 to the table-toppers.
Previous Meetings
While the two teams have not met previously in the FA WNL League Cup or Plate, they have met before in league campaigns.
After Poole picked up two wins over The Robins in 2017/18, 6-1 at St. Andrew’s FC, and 2-0 at Petersfield Park, 2018/19 would see a change of fortunes for Cheltenham.
At the end of October 2018, Cheltenham would waltz away with a 7-0 victory over the Dolphins, with Louise Fensome, Annie Martin, Georgia Brown, Ella Hitchcox and two from Rose Knuckey all hitting the back of the net.
The reverse fixture, played at Cheltenham Civil Service due to a watterlogged pitch at the DN Fire Stadium saw the home side run out with another big win. One goal a-piece from Abby Bevan and Ella Hitchcox added to Georgia Brown’s four to complete the rout.
The latest clash between the two teams, on the opening day of the 2019/20 campaign, saw Cheltenham dominate the game. An edge-of-the-area strike from Abby Bevan after a debut goal from defender Mai Butler saw them secure a 2-0 win.
Directions and Entrance Price
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 the DN Fire Stadium is £2 per adult, with children, Cheltenham Town FC season ticket holders and Robins Trust members getting in for free.
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.
