17th October 2020
For the third successive Vitality Women’s FA Cup campaign, Cheltenham Town Ladies will face local rivals Brislington at The Big Local Stadium (2pm).
The two teams were set to lock horns to open the 2020/21 season, before a Covid related issue in the Bristol-based club’s camp saw a postponement of the fixture the day before The Big Kick-Off.
Since then, The Robinesses have seen a mixed bag in terms of results, with a win over Chesham on their opening day, followed by a 3-2 loss to Swindon and a 3-3 draw with Larkhall.
The team returned to home turf after the back-to-back away journeys, losing out 2-1 to Maidenhead United Women, who in extraordinary circumstances, had to play with their jerseys inside out due to their red and black away kit clashing with Cheltenham’s new predominantly red home kit.
Following the loss to Maidenhead, Manager Tom Davies, believed his team would be more than ready to shrug of the result before the start of the Cup campaign, commenting:
“We’ve been training fantastically well, working really well and as you can see there was a really long period of time where we’ve played really good football and not got the end result. We’ll come back into training, we’ll be fine there’s no issues with that, so I look forward to next week.”
Team News
Davies may be forced to shuffle the pack to take on what have been physical opposition in the past. Centre-back Cerys Dolloway remains unavailable following her absence last week.
Cheltenham’s squad options are improved with the return of strong winger Billie Haynes and centre-half Sam Morris following last week’s absences. Both players trained during the week and could be in contention come matchday.
Opposition
“Briz” have had a tough start to 2020/21, after missing the opening day of the campaign against Cheltenham due to a Covid-19 issue within the club.
They eventually opened their account at home in a local derby against Larkhall Athletic which saw nine goals. The visitors from Bath got off to a flying start, scoring six goals in the opening 10 minutes, including scoring on the first, second and third minute of the game. Brislington would put three goals of their own on the board, but the poor start saw them lose out 6-3.
Following the derby defeat they made the trip to Chesham United, losing out 7-0, with former Robiness Chloe Rogers making her first competitive appearance for more than two years, before hosting Swindon last weekend where they lost out 3-0.
Previous Meetings
During 2018/19 the two sides met at The Big Local Stadium, in the Second Qualifying Round, with braces from Ella Hitchcox and Annie Martin securing a 4-1 win. Cheltenham would go on to beat Exeter City Women 1-0 in the Third Qualifying Round before losing 2-0 to Buckland Athletic in the First Round Proper.
In a carbon copy of the previous season, the teams started their Women’s FA Cup campaign against each other, again in Second Qualifying Round at The Big Local Stadium. The Robinesses would advance to next round following a 5-0 drubbing, with goals coming from Charlotte Criddle, Georgia Brown, Mai Butler, Kerry Bartlett and Annie Martin.
Cheltenham would again go on to face Exeter in the Third Qualifying Round, this time progressing after a tight 4-3 win that involved two hattricks.
The Robinesses would go on to host Leyton Orient in the First Round, losing out 1-0.
Directions and Entry
Entrance to The Big Local Stadium is £3 per adult, or £5 for two. Children, Cheltenham Town FC season ticket holders and Robins Trust members receive free entry. However, under the current circumstances, all children must be accompanied by an adult. All supporters are encouraged to bring the correct change to ensure minimal handling of money.
The club’s QR Code must be scanned upon entry. Those who are unable to scan must provide contact details.
Match programmes are not available, as they pose a handling risk, however they are available for free from the club website, here.
Supporters are also advised that due to staffing difficulties, drinks and snacks will not be available for this fixture. Cheltenham Town Ladies FC apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Location: The Big Local 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.
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.
