Newcastle United Women vs. Stoke City Women - 2023-24 Women's FA Cup, Third Round

Sunday 10^th December 2023
Third Round
Newcastle United vs. Stoke City

I’ve enjoyed watching these games on a Sunday afternoon – getting to and from games is a far more relaxing experience than a Saturday, with its busy crowds, but the downside for those of us who rely on public transport, is the usual timetables are truncated. So, I’m facing a race against time today as in their wisdom, both clubs have agreed to a 1pm kick-off. This means I’ve realistically got only one train to catch at my connection in Manchester to get to make the game in time. That’s the best-case scenario if everything runs on time; the last ten days has seen snow and rain hit the UK harder than the dose of reality you get when you leave school, so delays are probable – and then there’s the question of the game being on at all. Imagine if I get to go to Newcastle and see that the game has been called off. ‘LOL’, as the kids say.

Usually, Newcastle Women play their games at Kingston Park, the ground of Newcastle Falcons rugby union club. However, the Falcons are playing at home today, so the Newcastle Women’s game has been switched to Gateshead, which regularly fills in for when Kingston Park isn’t available anyway. Ironically, the stadium in Gateshead is closer to the centre of Newcastle (a mile-and-a-half, compared to Kingston Park being 5-and-a-half miles away), despite being over the River Tyne, in a different town, so the switch has done me a favour if anything. St James’ Park was also muted as a potential venue by some Newcastle supporters online; it would have represented a great opportunity to showcase the unbeaten women’s team on the larger stage of the men’s ground, as so many WSL clubs have been doing in recent seasons. However, there was another event taking place within the stadium, so Gateshead was left as the best option.

As I’m sat on the train to Newcastle (my original train to Manchester – one of two I could have got to get there to make my connection in time – was cancelled, LOL), I console myself by thinking about the Gateshead International Stadium and its history as one of the country’s premier athletics facilities – it’s surely got undersoil heating, right? Then I thought, why would an athletics stadium need undersoil heating for its field? No, according to The Football Ground Guide, it doesn’t, and after looking at various other clubs on there, undersoil heating is nowhere near as common as I thought it was! In fact, it’s only the Premier League that insists on clubs having it – it was reported at the start of this season that newly-promoted Luton Town have been given special dispensation to play without it. After going down a groundskeeping rabbit hole (no pun intended) as the train powered through Yorkshire and on to the North East, I was left with the impression that pitch coverings were generally the anti-weather protection of choice for most EFL clubs. Here’s hoping Gateshead have some bloody good ones!

Despite all my weather worries and to my great surprise, everything does run on time – I arrive a couple of minutes early and soon as I get to the Metro station underneath Newcastle Central Station, the train to Gateshead Stadium is waiting just for me. I’m sure. Thank you to all on the transport network – you have made this blog happen. So now the reader knows who to blame when they feel they’ve not got their money’s worth!

Formed in 1989, Newcastle United Women were operated independently from the men’s club but would often link up on various projects – one of which being a curtain-raiser to the 1996 Charity Shield, in which they played Manchester United Women, prior to the match between the same men’s sides. While the women would lose 2-0, the men would see a rampant Manchester United put four past them, with no reply – with the game notable for being Alan Shearer’s competitive debut for Newcastle too. The following few years saw Newcastle United Women consolidate themselves within the football pyramid, achieving promotion to the third-tier Northern Combination in 1999, and continuing to grow by creating a youth set-up at the University of Northumbria. Now well-established as one of Northern England’s strongest women’s clubs outside of the top two divisions, the club embarked on a partnership with Newcastle City Council’s Football Development Scheme, which aside from continuing to aid their growth and giving more opportunities to girls to play football, set out a five-year plan to reach the top tier FA Women’s Premier League.

Although they didn’t get to reach the top division in the end (at least not yet), they did win promotion to the second-tier and go on a FA Cup run that saw them a couple of penalty kicks away from a semi-final – drawing 2-2 with top tier Liverpool in the 2006-07 quarter-finals, they lost 9-8 in the shootout. Winning a ‘Club of the Year’ award from the FA for their run, Newcastle continued to develop within the second tier – but a setback arrived in 2017 when they were relegated; picking up just 2 wins in 20 games, shipping 65 goals. A new outlook was needed, and that same year saw the still-independent Newcastle United become part of the Newcastle United Foundation, the registered charity arm of the men’s club – clearly, with women’s football showing huge signs of growth, this was the start of the process to bring them in-house.

It was in August 2022 that Newcastle United WFC were officially made part of Newcastle United, with the club’s new ownership setting out ambitions of reaching the Women’s Super League. The announcement was particularly timely as it followed the first appearance of the women’s side at St James’ Park that May, as over 22,000 saw them beat Alnwick Town 4-0 – and who could forget, mere weeks after England won the Euros. Anyone who knows the game knows what a hotbed of football the North East is – I’m not just talking about its professional clubs here, but there’s a strong non-league football tradition in the area, with clubs commanding relatively big crowds for the levels they play at. So, considering all that, it makes it all the more bizarre that there isn’t a women’s club from this region in the Super League already. Somehow, I think that’ll change in the next couple of years.

Despite being labelled ‘Gateshead Stadium’ the nearest Metro station is about a 12-minute walk away from the stadium, which usually wouldn’t be too bad, but it’s freezing, so the walk feels extra-long. Seeing Geordies wearing bobble hats and big coats just hits home how cold it is. Nevertheless, I get there in one piece and such is the organisation, I get my e-ticket (a very reasonable £5) scanned and I’m straight in the warm bosom of the main stand. And what a nice stadium it is! Aside from athletics, The Gateshead International Stadium is used by Gateshead FC of the men's fifth-tier National League, so it’s fully set up for a football watcher’s experience. Any trip to Gateshead wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory mention of the Angel of North, the massive sculpture that sits by the A1, dominating the landscape. I didn’t see it on this trip but I feel it important to mention because it was designed by Anthony Gormley – the same artist who put a hundred sculptures of himself on Crosby beach, which I saw during my visit to Marine a couple of rounds back. How neat!

Built in 1955 on land previously occupied by Georgian-era chemical works, the Gateshead Youth Stadium was a modest construction, consisting of a cinder running track and an asphalt cycling track, with floodlights and a seating area being added later. By the turn of the 1970s, there was a need to reverse what was described as ‘inner city decay’ in Gateshead, with regeneration of existing structures being identified as a particular area of interest. The Gateshead Youth Stadium was one such building earmarked for regeneration and so in 1974, the council turned to local schoolteacher-turned-athlete, Brendan Foster, to head up a sport and recreation department that would handle the project. After the laying down of a synthetic track, further developments followed within the next decade – including the building of the huge seated main stand I’m sitting in today, with three more following. This allowed the stadium to host international events and thus, The Gateshead International Stadium was born, and further improvements have seen the site incorporate further sporting facilities to cement its place as the North East’s premier multi-sport venue.

With an all-seated capacity just shy of 12,000, the stadium is certainly set up for the Football League – but whether people would enjoy watching games here is another matter. It's easy to dismiss these stadiums because of the running tracks between the pitch and the stands – it doesn't help to boost passion and atmosphere when you're further away from the pitch and thus feel disconnected from the action on the pitch. This is some contrast to August when I stood on the sidelines on a field in Penwortham, where it felt like I were a part of the action! Having seen football games at other athletics stadiums where the view can be difficult, the stand here is steep enough that it offers a decent view of the pitch, so I don’t really mind the rare treat of staring out over a running track to watch a football match!

Today’s sides play in the same division – currently, Newcastle are battling for promotion, while Stoke are mid-table in a 12-team league that, despite it being halfway through the season, is already fractured into three ‘mini-leagues’. Newcastle won the league clash 3-1 at Kingston Park in October, and with the winner of today’s tie going into a draw that will feature WSL clubs for the first time this season, it’s certainly got an extra weight of importance. Resplendent in their traditional black-and-white stripes (it’s Stoke’s – wears of the red-and-white variety of stripes – turn to wear green this time), the Newcastle team walk to hearty applause from the crowd. Despite the venue change, there’s a decent number of supporters here, by far the largest crowd I’ve been a part of so far during this run, but that could have gone without saying! It’s crazy to think about how I was watching a game in a 3G cage in Leigh in the same competition justtwo rounds ago.

The first 15 minutes of the match is pretty even – Newcastle have most of the ball, but without creating any clear-cut chances. They do force a couple of corners which are met with a chant of ‘on the heed, on the heed, on the heeeeeed’, by several people around me, eager for their side to score. A beautiful accent that sounds like whale song, Al Murray’s Pub Landlord character once remarked – I’m sat here, listening to them, feeling like I’m in an Enya song, having sound therapy or something. This attempt at football witchcraft almost worked too – one corner did indeed find the heed of a Newcastle player; she connected well, it heeds towards goal but a Stoke player is there to heed it away.

Much of Newcastle’s play has been coming down both sides of the pitch – full-backs being pushed up high, winning the ball back, often in the Stoke half of the field. On one such occasion, 21 minutes in, Charlotte Potts intercepts a stray Stoke pass, runs up the left before slipping a well-weighted pass towards Bridget Galloway, 10 yards from goal – she shoots, Elizabeth Hobson in the Stoke goal makes a great block with her legs, but the ball spins behind her, and into the corner of the net. Gutting for Stoke – it looked for a second (and it was a second, it took that long!), that Hobson had saved from point-blank range, but the ball squeezed agonisingly past the post. The Newcastle supporters obviously don’t care, they’re too busy cheering with more whale song!

The goal gives the home side renewed confidence and they’re now playing more forward balls in attacking areas, creating more chances. Hobson has to make two good saves in quick succession to keep her side in it – the second of which looks like she saved it with her ‘lower body’ because she spent a minute, doubled up on the grass afterwards (the first save was a more conventional tip round the post!) Just as it looks like Newcastle are about to add to their lead, they almost concede on 40 minutes – a clearance from the Stoke area is played quickly upfield, eventually finding its way to midfielder, Danielle Puddlefoot 20 yards out; she hits the ball first-time on the volley which Newcastle goalkeeper, Grace Donnelly, has to reposition herself quickly to palm the ball wide.

So close to an equaliser – and a warning for the home side that an opposition goal is a mere (in this case, well-crafted) swing of a boot away. It remains 1-0 to the home side and despite a shaky end to the half, it takes nothing away from how much they’ve controlled the game. I expect them to up the tempo in the second half and create more chances – they’ve cut through Stoke at times, but just need a bit more quality in the final third.

And it takes just 10 minutes of the second half for them to notch the long-awaited second goal! After spending half-time under the stand, away from the cold and wet, enjoying the experience of an empty men’s toilets, I return to see a quicker, more penetrative Newcastle. The high pressing continues and after Katie Barker successfully nicks the ball off the Stoke right-back, she runs away with it, towards the area and plays square to Galloway who taps into an empty net. Parker looks an excellent player; a quick forward who likes to run at defenders – and her goal is the very example of that. On 65 minutes, after much more Newcastle domination, Galloway returns the favour and finds Barker in space on the left of the area; she skips inside a defender before shooting over Hobson’s heed, great finish.

The supporters who have travelled here, braving the elements, are enjoying themselves, now ‘olé-ing’ every successful Newcastle pass. They even (I’m pretty sure) persuade their players to shoot from 30 yards out – constant cries of ‘shoot, shoot, shooooooooot’ erupt into the Gateshead sky – and she does shoot! And the ball goes at least 10 yards clear of the crossbar, bouncing on a puddle on the running track for good measure.

Stoke have no answers and are being run ragged – their only chance being a long ball forward that Donnelly had to slide to the grass to collect. Other than that, it’s damage limitation for them, which doesn’t work either, as they concede two more goals in the last ten minutes. First, some quick play in midfield leaves the away side chasing shadows, the ball is played out wide before being crossed into the area – Hobson misses the ball and Anna Soulsby is there to tap into another empty net. With many around me taking the fourth as an opportunity to leave and beat the traffic (I don’t know why, there is ‘only’ 600 people here?!), they miss out on the injury time goal and a second for substitute, Soulsby. Stoke have been too slow in playing the ball out and despite being late on in the game, Newcastle are still pressing – Soulsby presses the last defender on the edge of the area and wins the ball before turning and firing high past the frustrated Hobson.

It's been an entertaining game, an illuminating insight into the difference that being fully-professional makes at this level. Despite playing in the same league and backed by their respective men’s clubs, Newcastle were able to run harder, press for longer and simply look better on the ball. With so few clubs in each division, it’s difficult to get a reading on how good the depth is in women’s football at the moment – that will come in time, of course, as more girls are inspired to play, clubs grow, professionalise and leagues expand.

I must mention the PA chap here who has been entertaining, with his ‘unique’ mic work. He made everyone chuckle as he tried to announce a player’s name but struggled a few times before giving up. He also took the opportunity to announce something every time there was a treatment break, uttering ‘at this unfortunate time…’ before talking about something going on at the stadium in the coming weeks, even inviting us to go and watch Gateshead Ladies who are playing a match on the pitches behind the stadium. Now, he’s passively aggressively chastising the officials for not indicating how much injury time there is. 'I'll let you know when I find out' he tells the crowd, before following it up with '3 minutes', 10 seconds later!

Full-time arrives and the home side are saluted by the remaining supporters. Their ambitious side will be taking their place amongst the best in the English women's game in tomorrow’s fourth round draw. With WSL clubs now added alongside Championship sides, it should be intriguing to see what draw we get – and ascertain how good these Geordie Lasses truly are.

Now here’s hoping the trains don’t bugger up on the way back.

Newcastle United 5
(Galloway, 21, 53. Barker, 65. Soulsby, 83, 86) 

Stoke City 0

Attendance: 654

Next Round: Manchester United vs. Newcastle United

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Chorley Women vs. Newcastle United Women - 2023-24 FA Women's Cup, Second Round

Sunday 26^th November 2023
Second Round
Chorley vs. Newcastle United

With the draw taking place on the Monday after the postponed tie in the last round, we already knew who the winner would face by the time Wigan and Chorley kicked off in Leigh – a plum home tie against National League North (third tier) Newcastle United. The recently-turned professional women’s section of one of England’s biggest clubs are very ambitious and as such, have swept aside the rest of the league this season, with sizeable crowds watching home and away. However, the adverse weather conditions that have plagued the North West for weeks have forced Chorley’s hand – instead of risking it and hosting the tie on grass at their usual home at Coppull United (or indeed, at Chorley FC), they elect to hire the 3G pitch at JMO Park in Skelmersdale for the day, some 20 miles away. It’s great for me, as it’s on the bus route near my house, but I imagine it’s awkward for anyone in or around Chorley who might have fancied a late decision to go along. Even a 20-mile trip isn’t appealing in the cold and wet.

The choice of JMO Park to host a tie in the Women’s FA Cup is an intriguing one – what with the pitch being ruled unsuitable to host men’s eighth-tier football and all. Skelmersdale United had achieved a credible 11^th-place finish in the Northern Premier League Division One West last season, a year after winning promotion via the play-offs. However, the 3G failed a FIFA bounce test – essentially a grading of an artificial pitch’s ability to mimic natural grass during play. As a result, Skem were forced to make alternative arrangements when required improvements were unable to be met, leading them to enter into a groundsharing agreement to play at Burscough’s new ground. However, this hastily put-together facility at the side of the old ground in Burscough was deemed unsuitable to host games at Northern Premier League level and therefore, Skem were demoted back down to the North West Counties League. A massive blow to them, considering they had already spent several years playing at various grounds in the area after being evicted from their previous home, until the JMO Sports Park stepped in to bring them back to the town. So, we’re now left with a situation where the JMO is not suitable to host men’s semi-professional matches but apparently is okay for a Women’s FA Cup second round tie (which, ironically enough, will feature full-time professionals on the Newcastle team)!

This is very reminiscent of a row before the 2015 Women’s World Cup, held in Canada. FIFA were heavily criticised when they confirmed that all matches would be held at venues with artificial pitches, with people saying that it was ‘discriminatory’, as elite men’s team would never be forced to play on artificial surfaces instead of natural grass. Sixty players even put their name to a lawsuit lobbied against world football’s governing body and the Canadian Soccer Association. The two main areas of complaint were their belief that artificial pitches are more likely to lead to injuries, and the difference in the makeup of the surfaces. FIFA responded by saying that the re-laid surfaces were subjected to their stringent testing system and that the same pitches were installed across all venues.

While the tournament went ahead and the suit dropped, for many onlookers it highlighted a double standard within football – and in all honesty, it isn’t a good look for FIFA. To me, it seems like they’re using the women’s game as a testing ground for these systems and surfaces, rather than providing a level playing field for their women’s ‘product’ to grow to the highest standard (no pun intended). So, yes, it’s very odd to be experiencing this second round Women’s FA Cup match here today – not just for the reminder of a double standard, but also because it shows that perhaps, Skem should not have been uprooted and demoted, as well as a local business left without a major client paying rent. All because a ball doesn’t bounce in the correct way – it doesn't do that on grass for many months of the season anyway!

The club that became Chorley Women FC were formed in 1978 by a Mr E. Gardner as ‘Cumberland Rangers Ladies’ for players in the Preston area. Despite this, there were no local pitches for them to play at, so they played in Accrington, later moving to New Longton and changing their name to reflect their locality. With the village of New Longton – birthplace of Blue Peter’s and Doctor Who’s Peter Purves, I was delighted to find out – being 10 miles from Chorley, many of the team’s players came from the town and by 1983, the club had rebranded as ‘Chorley Ladies’. By this point, a bone-fide women’s football legend was turning out for the club, while her husband was the manager – Shelia Parker. First turning out for the famous Dick, Kerr’s Ladies at the age of 13 in 1961, Shelia went on to win every domestic honour in the game, mostly with Preston but quite notably, with Foden’s – a former works team – winning the fourth edition of the Women’s Cup, beating favourites Southampton Ladies 2-1. By this point, Shelia was England captain, having first skippered them in their first international match, a 3-2 win against Scotland in Greenock on 18^th November 1972 – a century (almost to the month) that the first men’s international between the two sides took place. In 2022, she was awarded an MBE for services to football and charity, as well as honoured with a plaque at Chorley FC to mark her achievements and service to the club.

Reflecting on her time as a player, Shelia remarked that there were so few teams to play in those days, but the women’s game did go on to experience a good level of growth throughout the 1980s. This was undoubtedly helped by the FA lifting their ban a decade earlier, giving women and girls local pitches on which to organise teams. By this point, Chorley were playing in the North West Regional League, with their first game being against Manchester City – in what was City’s first-ever league game, Chorley ran out 11-0 winners. They went on to win three North West Regional League championships, eventually earning them a promotion to the Northern Combination – a league created in 1998, to act as a feeder for the top-tier Women’s Premier League. The introduction of professionalism and the Women’s Super League saw the Combination leagues replaced and today, Chorley play in the fourth tier Women’s National League North – one division below today’s opponents, who are reigning champions of Chorley’s division.

Skelmersdale is essentially a Milton Keynes of the North West. All roads and roundabouts, but unlike Milton Keynes, it doesn’t have a railway connection. ‘Old Skem’ was a tiny West Lancashire village that was expanded into a ‘New Town’ during the 1960s, primarily catering for the population overflow from Liverpool – all of which is reflected in the Skem of today, with the accents being off-Scouse (or ‘wool’) and the uniform concrete architecture, which looks like a 1960s dystopian nightmare. Nevertheless, there’s a picturesque quality to JMO Park when I first see it, as I cross the bridge that leads to the facility – the sight of the lush greenness of the 3G and players kicking a ball about is illuminated by the floodlights, standing out amongst the roads that surrounded it, on this dark, dank Sunday afternoon in November.

I follow a couple of Newcastle supporters into the ground – I know this because they’re wearing club gear (if that isn’t a giveaway, they also sound like Les/Lesley off the TV series, Benidorm) – and I’m met with the sight of a comfy clubhouse interior, with plenty of seating and tables, TV screens and more importantly, a bar. There are a couple of ladies in Chorley FC club shirts taking a fiver for entry, so I hand mine over and get a nice glossy sheet of A4 (which is the programme!) While waiting at the bar, I have a quick read and a short message from Chorley Chair, Janet Mitchell, welcomes everyone and throws some, I’m sure, unintended shade at the visitors, pointing out that they’re fully professional while the Chorley players ‘pay a tenner each just to get a coach to away games’. These are sides just a division apart, by the way – they even played each other in the same league last season!

Cold beer in hand (in what my phone tells me is 3-degree weather), I walk through the glass doors (not literally) of the clubhouse and out into the open to take in the ground (or ‘the main pitch’, as there’s another 11-a-side pitch here, along with many other smaller ones). There’s a small, seated stand on one side of the pitch, while the rest is made up of connected terracing – although it looks impressive, I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness that no regular team is playing here now. Taking a seat in the stand, I pass by a significant number of Newcastle supporters, two of whom are tying up a black-and-white HOWAY THE LASSES flag at the front of the stand. This got me thinking about how this is the first time on this road to Wembley that I’ve seen people at a game who are actual supporters of a club and not just a family members or friends of the players – again, this shows the huge chasm between women’s clubs, even at similar levels. Newcastle’s camera crew comes to take a position at the side of me, setting up their gear – apparently, the match is being streamed on YouTube, which is another first for me; being at a Women’s FA Cup game that’s being broadcast. Let’s hope I don’t say anything provocative and ruin their stream. No promises. Aside from the Geordies in attendance, there’s quite a good number of (what I believe) are Chorley supporters, so despite the move to Skem and the bad weather, the tie is well-attended and everyone is braced for an entertaining match.

As it turns out, it is! As you might expect, it was the professional players of Newcastle, not the coach-paying players of Chorley, that dominated the ball early on – creating two chances within the first 20 minutes that contrasted greatly. The first was shot straight at Emma Bradley in the home goal, while the other was smashed over – and out of the ground. Seriously, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had a passing car on the B5312! With both sides having home colours of black-and-white stripes (and as such, both having the nickname of ‘Magpies’), Newcastle are wearing an away strip of green with black trim. Also, just to underline their higher status, their players have their names on the back of their shirts, while Chorley do not. Speaking of whom, the ‘home’ side are doing okay so far. While not creating any clear-cut chances, they’re giving the smattering of home supporters some encouragement with some good spells of possession; slipping the ball past Newcastle with ease, just without a final pass beyond the away side’s backline.

While Chorley looked relatively comfortable after half an hour, they proceeded to start giving the ball away cheaply, unable to maintain their earlier slick play. On one such occasion, they lose possession which allows Newcastle to slip a ball down the left; it’s crossed in and a forward is on hand to sweep home from close range. The Newcastle supporters around me celebrate, but the flag is up for offside. Thanks to this moment, I’m at least aware of exactly how many away supporters are here now! They’re almost celebrating again not long later as some good play from Jasmine McQuaide sees her find space in the penalty area, she shoots across goal, the ball looks in…but it goes agonisingly wide. Newcastle are getting closer, surely it’s only a matter of time now before they take the lead?

Chorley keep battling, they’ve had a couple of counter-attacking opportunities but once again, they’re just a final pass away. To me this shows the differences between the sides – Chorley simply lack the quality to get behind a well-organised Newcastle defence. Other than that, there hasn’t been much difference between the two – Chorley have moved the ball about well at times and if Newcastle weren’t as diligent with their positioning, chances would have been created. Being a full-time side, it should be interesting to see what influence Newcastle have in the second half – as we’ve seen already, even with two amateur sides playing, fitness has been a major issue for some teams.

Just as it seems the Magpies of Chorley will be going in at half-time on level terms, the Magpies of Newcastle finally make their domination count. A long ball into the penalty area isn’t cleared, it bounces a couple of times to find itself on the edge, where Katie Barker is stood, and she proceeds to carefully sidefoot in. I say carefully because the ball was bouncing around quite elastically – maybe the bounce test was right to fail this pitch, after all?

I retire to the warmth of the function room at half-time – and with room for 140 people, there are plenty of tables to sit down at. I have a proper read of the programme/teamsheet for the first time and see – aside from the names of the away players being placed on the left-hand side of the sheet (which usually indicate the ‘home’, i.e. the most ‘prestigious’ side, the one ‘everyone has come to see’) – that Newcastle are unbeaten in all competitions this season. With 40 goals to their name and 8 clean sheets, it just goes to show what Chorley are up against here. No wonder they’ve put them on the left of the teamsheet! (Although likely an oversight by whoever designed it, I still find it irritating from a football traditionalist point of view!)

It's no surprise then that North East Magpies continue to dominate when the second half kicks off – they have a couple of chances, only for some last-ditch challenges and the ball being smashed over the bar preventing an increase in the scoreline. There’s a moment that makes everyone collectively wince, as a Newcastle player gets smashed on the head by the ball – which must sting a bit in this freezing weather. While she’s being treated, I notice that a group of non-involved Newcastle players have sat near me – I have the camera crew on one side and now a group of players on the other. I’m in the middle. The song lyrics write themselves. Continuing the injury theme of these last few matches, I see that one of the players sat to the side of me is on crutches, with her foot wrapped – I know these players are either professional or semi-professional, but it’s still impressive that they’ve travelled here to see the game when they’re not involved in the matchday squad. If there was any doubt that these girls weren’t professionals that take their jobs seriously, they’re sitting down with tubs of homemade pasta – the fuel for any serious sportsperson. I sip on my beer, which is the fuel for any serious idiot.

Thankfully, no serious injury occurs and the game restarts, coinciding with Newcastle cashing in on their constant pressure. After a cross is half-blocked, the ball loops into the air and forward Bridget Galloway is there to beat keeper Bradley to it, and bundle in from close range. There’s a touch of irony that the long-awaited second goal arrived in such a fortunate manner, considering the number of chances Newcastle have created in the second half. Nevertheless, it virtually ends any hope Chorley have of nicking something and gives the Geordies some breathing space. Not long later, they grab a third after a corner is flicked on by a Chorley defender at the near post, nobody but the far post gets a touch, and the ball goes in off the upright.

We’ve seen a distinct lack of bookings so far during this FA Cup run – this just plays into my observation that the women’s game is less physical, so you’re not likely to see as many heavy challenges – but we’ve got one here! I’m so excited! I mean, I’m disgusted. No need for this in the game. Barker goes on a mazy run, skipping past several Chorley players until she’s unceremoniously tripped 20 yards out. Sharna Wilkinson takes the free-kick, shooting directly at goal – it’s a powerful shot and while Bradley gets a big hand to it, she can’t keep the ball from going beyond her and into the net.

With the tie all but lost, Chorley have thrown off their counter-attacking style and instead decide to try and press for a consolation goal, but one such attack breaks down and is cleared to Becky Ferguson, who’s the furthest Newcastle player forward. She takes a touch around her marker on halfway and sprints towards goal – her marker tries but eventually gives up trying to catch her, and she proceeds to finish past Bradley to make it five. The ref, presumably happy he’s made use of his yellow card, blows for full-time as soon as he restarts. It was a great goal and the large gathering of Geordies lapped it up – a few more shouts of ‘g’wan lasses’ echo off the stand.

It’s a well-deserved scoreline for the away side but once again, I was left with the feeling that there wasn’t much between these sides that a level playing field wouldn’t fix. Just like how the teenage Wigan side looked comfortable last week, despite losing 4-0, there were spells in this game where Chorley looked comfortable too, as they kept the ball well. As the game wore on, they naturally conceded more chances and goals – in fact, three of the second half’s four goals came within the last 15 minutes. Considering left-of-the teamsheet Newcastle are full-time and Chorley have to essentially pay to play, the gap isn’t as big as you might expect.

Hopefully next time, Chorley will be able to host a ‘big’ side at home in this competition – not ‘home’ as in here in Skem, nor even their regular home in Coppull, I mean home as in Chorley, at Victory Park, the men’s ground. Considering the history of their women’s side and their current standing in the women’s football pyramid, more needs to be done to promote them to the town – the men’s side have been in the National League in recent years, with crowds of over a thousand watching on, so there’s definitely scope there to support a women’s fourth tier side. At the very least, their players should be on the left of their own teamsheet and should get their coach paid for by the club.

So, we’re now following Newcastle on this Women’s FA Cup road to Wembley – my travelling is starting to get serious. And winter is here, famously helpful to public transportation systems. Oh dear.

Chorley 0

Newcastle United 5
(Barker, Galloway, OG, Wilkinson, Ferguson)

Attendance: About 100

Next round: Newcastle United vs. Stoke City

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Wigan Athletic Ladies vs. Chorley Women - 2023-24 Women's FA Cup, First Round

Sunday 19^th November 2023
First Round
Wigan Athletic vs. Chorley

My wish for a home draw for a historic First Round tie for Wigan is granted and what’s more, they’ve drawn fourth tier Chorley – the Women’s National League Division One North side are located just 8 miles away, so I’m expectant of a sizeable crowd for the match. Scheduled to take place at Ashton Athletic of the North West Counties League Division One North (situated in men’s tenth tier), the tie was postponed on the day of the game due to a waterlogged pitch. With more heavy rain expected, the club took no chances and instead, arrange for the fixture a week later to take place on a 3G pitch at Leigh Sports Village.

There’s been a little bit of press attention for this match – but not from the outlets I expected. After the win at Harrogate in the last round, I eagerly watched the (official) Wigan Athletic Twitter feed, waiting for a post congratulating the team on their achievement – perhaps it could work to inspire people to go and check out the next round? But there was nothing. I’m not saying they should be taking control of the club or even slipping them a couple of quid (it’s been especially difficult for the club financially in recent years, so that’s completely understandable), but a short piece on the website, a social media post, anything that wouldn’t take up too many resources and yet pay tribute to its representative women’s team for their achievements would be great.

Prior to the original date this fixture was due to take place, I e-mailed the local paper with a short article on the Harrogate win. The paper (or website, as it is these days) usually publishes views from Wigan Athletic supporters each week, so I assumed a piece on the burgeoning women’s team would be an interesting read. Again, nothing. Not published, no e-mail acknowledgement, nothing. There was, however, a very good piece in the Liverpool Echo – knowing how many scousers there are in the Wigan team, I’m guessing that one of the parents was somehow involved in it getting published. In fact, the only Wigan-related media to mention it was a supporter podcast (shoutout to Progress With Unity) – but it’s peculiar that the local press are either not aware or just not interested in publishing news that local football supporters might be interested in.

I can’t feel anything but disappointment, to be honest. Here, we have a young team who have been sweeping all before them in the league and cup, reaching the First Round for the first time and it didn’t even warrant a mention in any publication in Wigan. I understand that they aren’t ‘officially’ part of Wigan Athletic, they’re just allowed to use the name, but would it have been too much bother to make a single post on social media to say congratulations and inform supporters of their existence? What’s the point of them being allowed to use the Wigan Athletic name if Wigan Athletic don’t even acknowledge them? With women’s football in England receiving more attention than ever in recent years, it just feels like a missed opportunity for all involved – the women’s team to get some much-deserved exposure and support, and the football club to inform everyone that their commitment to equality goes beyond the rhetoric on social media and in the matchday programme.

Thanks to the Liverpool Echo, a few gaps in my Wigan Athletic Ladies’ knowledge is filled in – with the backgrounds of the players and the objectives of the club being the focus. After a difficult period, last season’s first team was disbanded and instead of trying to recruit senior players, chairman, Kevin Spencer and manager, Chris Knights, decided to promote their youth players instead. Many of these were released by the academies of professional clubs, with Spencer explaining in the article that the club will effectively act as a ‘way back’ into the pro ranks for these players.

From what I’ve learned about women’s football in recent months, there doesn’t seem to be a huge gap between the lower divisions – we’re still very early in the development of the women’s pyramid, so the standard of teams will vary wildly across the divisions, probably up to as far as the third tier when semi-professional sides and full links with men’s sides come into play. The chairman believes the club can be the ‘missing link’ between grassroots and the top tiers of the game – attracting released players from professional clubs in the North West. If they can build a great reputation doing this, then future recruitment will be made much easier – it’s a strategy that has worked wonders so far, and I’m very excited to see how the club and its players will develop in the next few years.

Regular women’s football watchers may recognise Leigh Sports Village as being the home of Manchester United Women. Built between 2007-2008, the £83m complex is home to several sports, retail and housing developments, with the 12,165-capacity stadium being the centrepiece. However, today’s match will be taking place on a 3G pitch – of which there are bloody many. As I’m walking up one of the streets at the back end of the village, I’m wondering about which of the pitches I need to be at. I can hear the thudding of balls, the clattering of the cages and the utterings of industrial language (‘for fucks’ sake!’, ‘shit!’, ‘what was that, prick?’) – women’s football is certainly catching up alright. Only joking; there’s a couple of pitches being used by over-enthusiastic lads playing scratch games but thankfully, I quickly spot the Wigan Athletic training tops and head towards there.

The caged pitches are neatly arranged in two rows, with a path in between them for ease of access. At the entrance to this, there’s a small hut with a poster attached to it, detailing today’s match and the entrance prices. I hand over my two quid and the home club official looks genuinely surprised to see me – obviously, I’m one of very few non-player-relations here and he greets me with ‘Are you supporting Wigan’? ‘Er – yes’, I reply – I suppose I am, but technically speaking, I’m a neutral for the purposes of this blog – which you already know, as I’ve done such a GREAT job at hiding my allegiances so far. I get handed a programme – a folded A4 – and sent off with a cheery ‘nice one, lad!’. Once again, I feel a sense of regret that more hasn’t been made out of this tie in the local press – these girls deserve more support, and I’m left wondering if more people would have gone to see them at Ashton Athletic if the weather hadn’t intervened?

Saying that, it’s a good job the game was moved to a 3G pitch for today because it’s been raining all day. While it’s certainly a great training facility here, it’s not suitable for spectators – there’s no covered standing and there’s netting all around the pitch, obstructing the view. I do stand next to a friendly dog, so it could be worse. The pitch where we’re at is located at the far end of the 3G gauntlet and instead of another pitch lying opposite, there’s a bar and restaurant that’s attached to the changing rooms. Even I can’t stomach a cold beer in cold and wet weather (at least not yet – there’s a queue), so I occupy myself with the folded A4 programme I was given at the gate. With the insides containing a short welcome note and the squad lists, the back page has a nice message, dedicating the win at Harrogate to club founder, Flo Mather, who retired 18 months ago. I learned from this that the club was created in 1999 – coincidentally, the year Wigan Athletic moved to the now-named DW Stadium.

Kick-off today was supposed to be at a bizarre time of 15:45 but it’s delayed by fifteen minutes, with the rumour going around the gathering crowd that the referee is late. With the teams warming up, waiting for the ref, some Chorley supporters make themselves known – and they have a drum with them. Unless they intend to play ‘In The Air Tonight’ on it, I’m not sure I can bear listening to it, on top of the rain, cold and lack of drink. Thankfully, they produce a couple of half-hearted beats which is met by the giggling parents around me with ‘Wigan!’, and they soon give up. Still, I suppose you can say this represented my first experience of chanting and supporter clashes of this FA Cup run so far!

When the game does finally start, Chorley immediately take control, looking much tidier on the ball – all their passes finding a teammate, whereas Wigan can’t keep hold of it for long when they do gain possession. After ten minutes, Chorley finally make a breakthrough – the ball is played to a forward with her back to goal, she finds enough space and turns to shoot past the goalkeeper. The first time Wigan have been behind in this competition this season – how will they respond?

Quite well, actually. The goal seems to wake them up a bit and they start to string together more passes, but it’s the aggression they’re showing in midfield, against more experienced players, that’s impressive. One such occasion saw a Wigan forward win the ball on halfway, skip past three defenders but as she approached the last, the ball got stuck under her foot and was cleared. The parents around me ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ (the dog next to me just seemed non-plussed, probably wanting a biscuit), sensing that it was one of very few chances their girls might get to score today.

This is the difference I’m talking about– the higher-ranked and more experienced side just use the ball better. I don’t think there’s much difference between the abilities of these players, Chorley just have a heightened tactical awareness that sees them use the ball more effectively. Whether in defence or attack, their experience gives them the ability to sufficiently organise themselves – which allows them to play easy passes, whereas Wigan have to rely on individual players to create chances. All this is exemplified not long later when a simple pass splits the Wigan backline and a defender goes to ground to prevent the attack from getting a shot off – it’s a foul, apparently, penalty. I say ‘apparently’ because it did look harsh – she seemed to have got the ball, but then again, I’m stood further away, watching from the outside of a cage. And you know what they say – you give the ref a decision to make if you go to ground in the penalty area. The penalty is comfortably tucked away, and the young Wigan team have a mountain to climb.

That mountain becomes Everest-sized midway through the half as Chorley make it three – and it’s a well-worked goal. Some neat play down the left sees an attacker scampering towards the penalty area and as soon as crosses the 18-yard line, she shoots, the keeper makes a good save, but an on-coming attacker is there to smash in the rebound. It’s a tad harsh on Wigan who go on and dictate the play themselves for the rest of the half – Chorley comfortable enough to let them have the ball, restricting their hosts to some long-range efforts.

Despite the current scoreline and the freezing conditions, the parents – and the rest of the assembled crowd – are having a good time. The Chorley drum isn’t sounding, but amongst the shouts of support for the girls, animated chatter and laughter dominating the soundscape – I suspect people are being giddy just to keep warm! One chap next to me gets in a round of hot chocolates for his group and they all stand there, unknowingly taunting me as the aroma wafts under my increasingly-wet nose. Something else me and the dog have in common.

The cheerful atmosphere is replaced by one of concern just before half-time, however. Wigan play a ball through and as an attacker challenges the on-rushing goalkeeper, she goes down and there’s a brief pile-on as a couple of defenders get back to help. The referee immediately shouts at everyone to ‘move away’ as it’s clear the Wigan player – who I learn later is Grace Carr – is in some distress. While the physios are tending to her, the consensus around me is that she’s ‘broken her leg’ – not dure how they can tell from here, but again, I’m not a scientist. The referee decides to blow for half-time so she can continue to get treatment and wait on the pitch for the ambulance. I’m immediately reminded of the incident at Marine when the game was ended close to full-time when one of their players went down and broke (or fractured) her arm. When all you watch is professional football, what with games having ambulance crews on hand, it’s easy to take them for granted. We hear that there will be a 45-minute delay, so all that can be done is for club staff to make Grace feel comfortable and cover her in blankets, while the players either stay in the changing rooms or sit in the bar. I notice many of the Chorley players are in the bar, so hopefully they’ll all have a couple of pints each before the start of the second half.

With the players and supporters packing out the bar area, there’s not much indoor space for me to warm up in. Looking through a window, I see that the restaurant seems to be hosting a family party of some kind, and there’s a buffet staring at me, suggestively. Butties, quiche and chocolate cake tipping me the wink, making my empty stomach dance. Maybe I can borrow my doggy friend to cause a distraction? I somehow manage to prise myself away from the potential heist and find some cover from the rain close to the changing room, but I just can’t get the idea of rifling through the buffet out of my head. I occupy myself looking through another window and see some signage and even a couple of trophies that tell me these facilities must be used by Leigh East Rugby League club, so I can only assume this particular 3G must be their home pitch. Suddenly the rugby posts, that sit behind roll-on football goals here, make sense! Still, I’m intrigued how they manage to get crowds here, and after some research, it looks like they take down the fences on this side of the pitch to allow spectators to have a better view. It’s a shame that this game had to be arranged at such short notice and thus not set up for spectating, as it’s been a struggle to connect with the action at times.

As I was looking this information up, I’m stood close to the entrance of the changing rooms, and I overheard the ref tell spectators that it would be ‘up to the girls’ whether the game would continue. When the ambulance arrives and tends to Grace, lifting her in a wheelchair, all the Wigan team come out to see her off – we’re continuing as the Chorley team come out and warm up not long later. Best wishes to her on her recovery (hopefully I’ve got your name right and not confused you with the other Grace!)

The second half gets back underway after a delay of an hour and I’m wondering how Wigan will react, considering the momentum they had been building up and the effects of the incident, of course. They react well, as it happens – just a minute into the half, they have a shot from distance that the Chorley keeper does well to palm wide. They continue to dominate the ball and be aggressive in midfield, maybe this tie isn’t over?

In fairness to Chorley, they manage the game well – again, a clear indicator of their experience at playing at a higher level. Wigan just can’t get beyond their backline – some well-timed tackles on winger, Casey Green, preventing any meaningful penalty area action for Wigan. It’s actually Chorley who get the next goal – again, some simple passing sees an attacker in space and she half-volleys into the corner from inside the area. Totally against the run of play, but that’s what good sides do – finding a goal despite being up against it.

It stays nil-four as the ref blows the whistle on this marathon fixture, bringing the curtain down on Wigan’s historic run in this competition. It’s been a great journey, and they can feel very proud of their achievements – for such a young team, they play some exciting football and have competed well today against a side three divisions higher than them. Hopefully – if any of them aren’t snapped up by clubs at a higher level – the players can stick together, develop even further and rise through the divisions. And hopefully, they’ll be officially recognised by Wigan Athletic at some point!

So, four matches gone and we’re changing our ‘allegiances’ for the first time – we’re now following Chorley on the road to Wembley, so let’s see where we’re going next!

Wigan Athletic 0

Chorley 4

Attendance: About 50, and 1 dog

Next round:Chorley vs. Newcastle United

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Harrogate Town Women vs. Wigan Athletic Ladies - 2023-24 Women's FA Cup, Third Qualifying Round

Sunday 22^nd October 2023
Third Qualifying Round
Harrogate Town vs Wigan Athletic

The next ‘Another Place’ turned out to be Harrogate – arguably the poshest place in Yorkshire (alongside Emmerdale, obviously). In 1858, Charles Dickens described the spa town as ‘the queerest place with the strangest people in it, leading the oddest lives of dancing, newspaper reading and dining’. In 2023, I would describe it as containing ‘plenty of mature people, in flashy walking gear, masses of greenery and tea shop queues reminiscent of the chippy on a Friday night’. Big Charlie and I are clearly cut from the same cloth. This is the first time in the competition that I’ve had to wait for the draw to be made (what with the second qualifying round being drawn at the same time as the first one) and I’ve never been here before, so I’m thankful for this opportunity presented by the Third Qualifying Round draw that sees Wigan Athletic and I travelling here for new experiences.

Discovering new and interesting places through watching games is a massive attraction of football for me. Aside from the unique stadiums you see and the different crowds you can melt away in, you get to explore a new place, soaking up local culture and perhaps even learning something new. Some of these places are well-tread areas of the country, others wouldn’t be visited at all if it wasn’t for their football team – and the great thing about the FA Cup is that each round throws up a lottery of where you might go next. You can plan months in advance for league fixtures, but you’ve got a matter of weeks (if even that) to plan for a cup game. With the draw being unseeded and nobody guaranteed a home tie (which isn’t all that common in cup competitions elsewhere in the football world), your team could end up anywhere, adding an extra layer of excitement and anticipation. The downside to this for a supporter is that you’re often rushing to arrange travel, with costs so often the sticking point. The costs aren’t too bad for me with Harrogate, but even with a 2pm kick-off, I can only catch two services to get there in time. And let’s just say train travel isn’t exactly reliable, and it’s a Sunday…it’s a lottery alright!

Thankfully I arrive with no issues whatsoever (well, aside from getting a rail replacement to
Manchester to make my connection, anyway!) Despite it being a Sunday morning, Harrogate is bustling with people of all ages (but mostly the mature walkers in fancy gear). There are several tea shops with queues snaking out of the door and down the street. Yes, tea shops – not your Starbucks, Costa Coffees or any other chain shop you might see in every town across the country, but ye olde tea shops that have doubtless been there since the 19^th century, unchanging except to abide by contemporary health and safety regulations. The main one I pass belongs to Bettys and Taylors – the company that owns several brands, including the much-celebrated Yorkshire Tea. When you come from (and visit) towns that look identikit – what with their glass shopping centres and betting and vape shops outnumbering the people that hang around them – seeing a unique place such as Harrogate, with its busy Sunday crowds, ornate stone buildings and wide-open spaces, takes you back a bit.

Despite the demand for spa towns diminishing throughout the mid-late 20^th century, Harrogate has remained a cultural jewel in the North Yorkshire crown. As touched upon, greenery and gardens are massive here – both in a literal and figurative sense, persevering the town’s character. The Valley Gardens is considered the town’s ‘main park’, Harlow Carr gardens are managed by the Horticulture Society, while The Stray is protected by an Act of Parliament (the Stray Act 1985) that states if any part of the gardens are changed because of development purposes (such as widening roads), then whatever is removed must be replaced by an equivalent area of land elsewhere in the town.

The arts are well-represented here too, with the Harrogate International Festivals attracting tourists with its wide-ranging roster of events. The most notable artistic event here came in 1982 – following Buck Fizz’s skirt-tearing win for the UK the previous year, the brand-new Harrogate International Centre was chosen as host of the Eurovision Song Contest. 17-year-old Nicole Hohloch (known as ‘Nicole’) won for Germany with the ballad ‘Einbißchen Frieden’ (‘A Bit of Peace’) – an apt winner of a contest held in a town that is celebrated for its calm and serene demeanour!

With the weather being somewhat chilly today, I give all these cultural delights and tea shop queues a swerve, instead electing to go for a drink and a sit down in the nearby Wetherspoons. In keeping with the rest of the town that I’ve seen so far, even this edition of the cheap-and-cheerful pub brand is grand. The pub takes up a large portion of what was the town’s former Royal Baths – after entering through the doors, you have to descend a quite extravagant twin stone staircase to get to the bar. Imagine going up one of these after a few pints! Not long after I got a drink in, its status as a ‘fancy place’ is confirmed in my mind as I witness a young woman pose multiple times on the balcony with a glass of prosecco and a cheeky grin as her friend took photos for her Instagram or Myspace or whatever. I’m only mentioning this anecdote because, rather amusingly, just before this incident, much of the Wigan team – decked out in their club tracksuits – pass me, ascending the staircase. Hopefully, they’ve been on the spa water and not the booze! More minerals, less Magners, that’s my fitness tip.

Harrogate Town Women play on the main 3G pitch at Rossett Sports Centre (curiously, sharing the same name as Marine’s ground in the last round!) – the community facility is a part of Rossett School which is located just over a mile from the town centre. England Lionesses star, Rachel Daly, used to go to school here and appropriately enough, the main pitch was named in her honour just a couple of weeks ago – so today’s match is being played on the ‘Rachel Daly 3G Pitch’! Aside from the main pitch, there’s an indoor centre, as well as several smaller 3G pitches that are hosting some lads training, as well as some other scratch games. I time my arrival to perfection – I’m just walking through the car park in front of ‘The Rachel Daly’ as the players go off and line up for their ‘FA Cup entrance’.

Formed in 2006, Harrogate Town Women play in the Premier Division of the North East Regional League, the fifth tier of women’s football in England. Affiliated to the men’s side, the women’s section have their own dedicated player development centre, providing opportunities for young girls to play and train alongside first-team players and coaches at the same time. A smart idea that will doubtless help to inspire and improve players, creating an attachment to the club in the process. ‘Growing together’ seems to run through this football club, as it’s only been within the last decade that the men’s side has turned professional. Playing in the National League North, Harrogate Town decided to go full-time from the start of the 2017-18 season – immediately paying off as they won promotion to the top division of non-league football that same season. By 2020, they were playing in the Football League for the first time in their 101-year history and have since established themselves in the fourth tier. With the growth and progression of the men’s side and the catchment area around this part of North Yorkshire, I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest that we could see Harrogate Town Women also grow into a strong club in the years to come.

As I take my place at the side of the 3G pitch, I must admit that it doesn’t feel like an 'occasion' that a cup match should be. With the women’s side being officially affiliated to the men’s club, I half-expected this match to take place at Wetherby Road, the men’s ground on the other side of Harrogate. I think it would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase the women’s side, getting more home supporters down to cheer them on in the effort to reach the first round. Imagine how inspiring that would be to the players? Instead, we’re all squeezed behind a barrier on one side of the pitch, looking out on the artificial pitch that’s surrounded by fences. The Wigan supporters (parents) are here in full force, so I take my position with them around the halfway line and clap enthusiastically as the teams enter the enclosure. Despite what I just said about this not feeling like ‘an occasion’, the Harrogate players have a mascot apiece to walk out with, so perhaps I was a bit hasty!

The match officials led out the teams and they’re one number lite – only one assistant walked out with the ref. Instead, someone who I presume is a home club official takes up the other flag and positions himself at the side where we’re stood. As the game kicks off he’s asked by someone in the crowd about the missing assistant ref, ‘gone to the toilet, I think’ he answers. Lo and behold, the actual linesman turns up a few minutes in, apologising to and thanking his temporary replacement, looking sheepish while flashing a grin at everyone. You won’t get this in the WSL! As it happened, the temporary linesman officiated over a good spell for the home side – they look good at moving the ball around and play two through-balls beyond the Wigan defence but are just overhit.

After responding to the early pressure with the first clear-cut chance of the match that’s hit just wide, Wigan take the lead on 12 minutes. A through-ball splits the defence, an attacker rounds the onrushing goalkeeper but still with a lot to do, the visiting forward has to brush off the pressure from a couple of defenders before smashing the ball in from a wide angle. It’s been a great opening, very good football with passes crisscrossing between players, everything played on the ground – and now both keepers are called into action, both making good saves. First, Harrogate have their first shot on goal that looks every inch a goal, but the Wigan goalkeeper positions herself well to punch the ball over the bar. Then Wigan find themselves in the clear once again, but the shot from just inside the area is tipped over by the home goalie.

In what is a recurring theme in these early rounds, the parents have been trying to referee the game – and on one occasion, they’re probably in the right! It seems that Wigan win a corner, the parents obviously shout for it – and so does our late linesman friend. The (actual) referee gives a goal-kick, however, which riles up the parents who shout at him – nothing too bad, no bad language, thankfully, just a ‘come on ref’ or ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’! Immediately, one of the parents questions the linesman about the corner, ‘I know, I told him’, he says, indicating his flag. It turns out he’s got this James Bond flag that has a button on it which communicates with the ref (which I learned later is a ‘buzzer’). I can’t help but feel that it was quite concerning that he was just ignored. Does this happen at professional level?

It remains one-nil to Wigan as the ref blows for half-time, and while Harrogate have had most of the ball, the difference here is how quickly each side is passing the ball about. Wigan are quicker all over the pitch, with their attackers constantly looking to find space on the break, the home side doesn’t look half as swift upfront. I also don’t think the pitch is helping – I very rarely watch matches on 3G pitches but I’ve noticed today that the ball is moving around slower than it would on grass. I’ve enjoyed the competitiveness though, so it’s all to play for at The Rachel Daly as the crowd heads down to the indoor sports centre to warm up.

I also go inside the sports centre at half-time to use the toilet (but mostly to have a nosey around) and as soon as I’m through the doors I’m met with a long queue, everyone waiting for the receptionist to make hot drinks from the machine behind her. It’s a far cry from the long queue I passed outside the posh tea shop earlier! I also fancy a brew, but I also need a wee, so I elect to spend my half-time doing that. When I make my way back to The Rachel Daly, people are standing in my spot, with the steam of their brews warming up their faces. Brewless in 8-degree weather, I now have to stand behind some training goals that have been rolled to the side of the pitch. The walk back allowed me to get a good look at how many people are here though and there’s probably more than I thought, perhaps pushing 80 or so. There’s no way of knowing for sure as there was no entrance of any kind, so we all just sauntered in.

Wigan make a good start to the second half, dictating the pace of the game instead of sitting in and letting their opponents have the ball. Early on, they should score – ‘Gracie’, the No11 is put through, she takes a heavy touch but manages to get a shot away – the ball going over the keeper and hitting the bar, before bouncing to safety for Harrogate. The home side put on a bit of pressure with a couple of set pieces, but it’s Wigan who are creating the clear-cut chances – a through-ball sees a forward through again, but the keeper makes a great save by rushing out and smothering the ball. The keeper – who I learn from the Harrogate Women’s Twitter is Claudia Sandford – makes three more saves within the next five minutes; rushing out to save in a similar manner to the last chance, before producing two saves from point-blank range. You could say that she’s keeping them in it here. Sorry.

Harrogate have switched to playing the long ball – they simply don’t have the legs to get beyond the Wigan defence. While pace played a part earlier on, now fitness is becoming an issue – the proliferation of chances for the visitors in the last few minutes indicating the struggle they’ve got at keeping up with the attacks. Wigan finally do get that elusive second goal not long later – for what seems like the fourth time, No14 finds herself through on goal and even though she’s sent wide by the last defender, she picks her spot and strokes the ball past Sandford and into the corner. The parents know how crucial this goal is and cheer wildly, the Wigan coach isn’t as enthused though as he tells his players ‘We need more’.

An issue with watching football at this level is not knowing players’ names – it can’t be helped, what with these clubs being volunteer-run and parent-supported, so creating teamsheets or posting about it on social media will be way down the list of priorities, but I still feel bad that I can’t give these girls credit. One player who has impressed me in this FA Cup run so far is Wigan’s No7, who I deduced later (thanks to parents shouting and the squad list on the FA website) is Casey Green. (although with the Scouse accents, they could have been saying ‘Gracie’, as I believe there are two Grace’s, so I can’t be sure). She’s a classic pacey, tricky winger; right-footed but playing on the left – and the majority of attacks have come through her. Here now, she cuts inside, beats a couple of players and smashes the ball into the corner for what has to be the best goal I’ve seen so far in this competition (and there’s been quite a lot!)

With the third goal the manager was looking for in the bag, Wigan go on to dominate further, scoring two more goals. First, Gracie finds herself through again and with enough time to control the ball, she lifts it over the keeper and in – clearly taking no chances after seeing a few of her shots smothered by Sandford today! The goalscoring is wrapped up by No11 who is put through on goal, and despite a defender getting something on the ball, it bounces fortuitously for the forward to smash home. There’s even time for a late booking – yes, a booking! I haven’t seen a yellow card branded in the competition before today, but after a frustrated Harrogate player gives the ref some backchat, she goes into the book.

It’s been a great performance from Wigan at The Rachel Daly, reaching the first round proper of the Women’s FA Cup for what I believe is the first time. It’s been well worth the trip, seeing these girls represent my home town with such class, so I can only imagine how proud their parents must feel. Hopefully, they’ll get a home draw in the next round and a decent crowd down to watch them, because the football they play is fantastic. Harrogate too were decent – it can be easy to look at a scoreline and say that it was easy, but it was very competitive for an hour. Tactically, there wasn’t a huge gap between the teams, Wigan just possessed the superior physical attributes that allowed them to run riot for the last half an hour. In all honesty, I’m excited for the future of English women’s football if this is the standard we’ve got in these ‘lower leagues’ – hopefully more girls around the country (and boys, for that matter) will be able to take advantage of facilities like the ones here in years to come.

I’m now off to warm up somewhere. Anyone know where I can find a cup of tea?

Harrogate Town 0

Wigan Athletic 5

Next round: Wigan Athletic vs. Chorley

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