Wigan Athletic Women vs. Blackburn Eagles

I’m at the Brick Community Stadium today – no, it’s not a new groundhop, quite the opposite in fact! Previously known as the JJB Stadium and DW Stadium, I’ve already seen countless matches here in Wigan but today is an historic occasion in this, the 25^th anniversary of its opening – it’s the first home game for Wigan Athletic’s new women’s team as they host Blackburn Eagles in the ‘Championship’ division of the Lancashire Women’s County League!

This new women’s section of Wigan Athletic is the first in-house women’s football team, part of owner, Mike Danson’s, remit to ‘be a driver of positive change in the town and community’ when he purchased the club last year. Managed by 2013 FA Cup-winning captain Emmerson Boyce, ‘the Lady Tics’ (can’t see that being adopted as an official nickname, but let’s just run with it for now!) opened with a 2-0 win at Haslingden last week and followed it up with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Euxton on Tuesday. Promotion is the evident aim – and with a crowd of over a thousand expected here today, can they continue their form and impress as many supporters as possible, inspiring them to join their journey?

I had to word that introduction carefully, as technically speaking, Wigan Athletic have been represented by another women’s club since 1999 – Latics effectively lending them their name. As I understand it, the other club had two meetings with Wigan Athletic last year after which it was decided that they wouldn’t be incorporated and therefore would have to change their identity. While they’ve since changed their club crest, they’re still going by the ‘Wigan Athletic Ladies’ name – and what’s more, they currently play in the North West Regional League, two tiers above the new team. It's all very confusing.

It's regrettable that an agreement couldn’t have been made between the two clubs – I followed the other Wigan Athletic in the Women’s FA Cup last season (for which, I’ve written a series of blogs – feel free to check it out!), and they’ve built a great club with various youth sections and an exciting first team who swept all before them last season as they won the Lancashire County League Premier Division and reached the first round of the cup (this despite all the players being Under-17's). I can only assume Wigan Athletic (official) wanted to start from scratch, building their own club, rather than having to spend time and money in negotiating whatever legalities will be involved in incorporating an existing club. They've been placed in the seventh tier of the women's football pyarmid and tt the moment, they’ve got a first team and nothing else – but with a Category 2 EPPP set-up at the club, there’s scope to build their own girl’s youth sections rather quickly.

The ambition is to push this team towards the WSL – with Wigan also able to take advantage of the huge population centres nearby, the club can offer local women and girls opportunities to play football and develop in a great environment. A key part of this plan will be their home ground/training centre at Edge Hall Road. The former home of Orrell RU and Wigan Warriors development squad, the 3,000-capacity ground is currently being refurbished to be ‘a hub for women’s sport in the borough’. When it does open (hopefully soon!), that WILL be a new groundhop for me to cover!

It's great to see Boycey back at the club in a key coaching role – not just because of his legend status, but also because he’s got a genuine pedigree in developing women’s football. Previously, he coached the Barbados women’s team and later became technical director of the country’s FA, bringing all his experience to the table to develop the Caribbean nation's youth teams (imagine leaving Barbados for Wigan though???) He’s the perfect appointment, really – a well-loved club figure adds a degree of ‘legitimacy’ to the women’s club project in the eyes of supporters, so they’re on board right away. Him being experienced in the women’s game and team development is crucial, however – his expertise stands the team in the best stead to hit the ground running. He’s been surrounded by several coaches with experience in local women’s football too, so all the pieces are in place for the new club to grow and develop throughout the next couple of years.

What gives me further confidence in the club is their approach from the outset. The players they’ve recruited aren’t professionals, but they’re being treated as such. Introduced before and during half-time of a recent men’s home match, they’ve been heavily promoted on social media – even going as far as giving them squad numbers and names on the back of the shirts. This isn’t a done thing at this level, what with the costs involved – it can be easy to forget that the vast majority of women’s leagues are essentially made up of amateur clubs. What this does, is give players a sense of ‘ownership’ over their shirt – pride that instils that professional approach, driving them on to improve even further.

Entry is free, but to gauge the numbers, the club required people to pre-book tickets, with the period to do so ending on Friday evening. Despite heavily promoting the fixture on social media during the week, I’ve seen people complain on the same platforms that they ‘didn’t know’ the game was taking place. Which I find incredible, to be honest – they’re certainly quick to make negative comments after a post about the men’s team! However, it did leave me wondering how many people would have been here today if they were able to just walk up? Obviously, the club have to be aware of how many people are expected to put sufficient staff in place, but how is this going to translate to Edge Hall Road when they play there? I’m not expecting an average of 1,000+ to turn up at each game in Orrell, but I can see anywhere from 200-500 being present on average, especially considering the novelty appeal of the new ground. With very limited access (the ground is tucked in behind houses), how can they prepare for this, even with advanced online ticketing? There’s even a queue at the turnstile here, as people struggle with their QR codes – I don’t think this is realistic to roll out at the new ground.

Once I do get in, I get a prime seat bang in the centre of the West Stand – a very rare experience. One thing that’s immediately obvious is that the club have placed a lot of emphasis on creating a family atmosphere that’s so prevalent in women’s football. They’ve hit the ground running, putting on various activities inside the stand and just generally creating a relaxing, non-threatening atmosphere. And Crusty The Pie, Wigan’s erstwhile mascot, is in his absolute element too, dancing along to pre-match music, without the worries of being verbally abused by opposition supporters. Saying that, Crusty has just returned from the ‘Mascot Derby’, for which he trained extensively, so with him being quite hench, you won’t catch me calling him anything but a fine, upstanding, young gentleman. And hot and tasty (he is a pie, after all).

Why was Crusty The Pie in JD Gyms, Wigan? 🤔@JDGyms | @LaticsOfficial#wafc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/SyK3L9R9zh

— JuniorLatics (@JuniorLatics) August 19, 2024

Another nice touch for this historic occasion is having the players enter the pitch with family members. With their names on their backs, family members by their side, a large crowd applauding them on in a professional stadium and one giant pie dancing around, they must feel ten feet tall. The positive feelings take just a couple of minutes to take effect as Ellie Cleary scores the first home goal for Wigan Athletic Women – volleying in a cross from inside the area. That’s her fourth goal in three games – all the more remarkable, considering she was signed on the eve of the opening game last week!

Blackburn Eagles – it must be stressed, an independent community club from the hometown of Rovers – take just four minutes to find an equaliser. A free-kick is played into the Wigan penalty area, the ball is bundled towards goal, which Wigan keeper, Amelia Knowles, saves – but the rebound is put in. We have no idea who scored, nor who is on the Blackburn team – I suspect no teamsheet has been handed to the PA announcer. This is another reminder of the level we’re at here – half of these teams play on 3G pitches in sports centres, so why would they make copies of teamsheets? This goes to show the growth that’s needed in the women’s game.

The match is very competitive for the first half-hour – Wigan shading it with their tidy, short passing, whereas Blackburn favour the more physical stuff. The pressure tells soon enough though, as Cleary adds another – latching onto a ball into the area, she’s challenged by the keeper and slips over, but still manages to put the ball in while on the ground! Cleary has been somewhat of a find; a forward that likes to cut inside, she’s been a constant menace to the Blackburn backline, pressing and harrying them. Not long after her second, she completes her hat-trick – threatening to get behind the defence several times already, with the offside flag or last-ditch block preventing them, Wigan slip a pass through and Cleary runs on it, proceeding to round the keeper and put the ball into an empty net.

The supporters have naturally been enjoying themselves – but so have the players. Each goal has seen them all (bar the goalkeeper) run to Cleary to celebrate. Some of them have run 60 or 70 yards to do so – I hope they don’t knacker themselves out! Boycey must be going spare! Maybe they have tired themselves out, because for some reason, Wigan decide to make two substitutions at the 40-minute mark and then another a couple of minutes later. All the players seem uninjured – couldn’t they have waited until half-time? How bizarre.

The first half was very enjoyable (several goals for your side does tend to have that effect!) But the crowd have been good too, being animated in all the right places and shouting at the ref. Some chap even attempted to start a ‘Cleary’s on Fire’ chant, which raised some nervous giggles. The play is somewhat slower than what most here will be used to, but there’s also been plenty of action which most here will not be used to either! People always make the mistake of thinking slower play means ‘less entertaining’, but it’s been anything but. It’s absolutely pissing it down too, which isn’t helping!

I can only assume Boycey wants to see all of his players in action, as he makes another sub at half-time – replacing goalkeeper Knowles with Faye Mossley. The mystery of these early subs is made clear to me during the second half – it turns out they use rolling subs at this level, presumably to safeguard the fitness of players. Considering this is effectively amateur football (and many of these players are teenagers), expecting them to play at the same intensity for 90+ minutes is unrealistic. I think the rolling subs keep the players fresh and as such, keep the game fresh too – so it’s a better watch for the supporters also!

The second half has been competitive – in the sense that Wigan have dominated, while Blackburn have defended well, without creating anything. Just as it seemed we were going to end the match without a goal, Wigan win a free-kick just outside the penalty area, left-of-centre. Midfielder, Molly Hassall steps up – and smashes the ball into the top corner! It was a great shot; one of those hits that you know is going in as soon as it’s struck. Late on, Wigan had another chance, but it hit the post and bounced agonisingly away from several onrushing attackers.

It finishes 4-1 and the players celebrate and take some well-deserved adulation from the crowd. I feel like there's a lot more to come from this Wigan team – considering they were only put together a matter of weeks ago, it’s still very early to gauge what their potential is, but they’ve certainly started in the right manner by playing crowd-pleasing short-passing, attacking football. Although I’m looking forward to experiencing what Edge Hall Road has to offer, I do hope they host more games at The Brick throughout the season – over one-and-a-thousand were here today and as the team develops and hopefully puts together a successful league campaign, I’d imagine that number could easily be doubled next time. Well, if some people would read their social media feeds properly, anyway!

Wigan Athletic Women 4

Blackburn Eagles 1

Attendance: 1,541

If you’re interested in reading more about women’s football, I have a book out in November! In an attempt to evaluate the standing of women’s football at all levels in the current climate, I followed the winning club through each round of the 2023/24 FA Cup – starting with the ‘other’ Wigan Athletic Ladies – all the way to the final at Wembley, chronicling my experiences along the way. Stay tuned to this blog for more information on the release date – or follow me on X at pints_pies!

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Manchester United Women vs. Chelsea Women - 2023-24 Women's FA Cup, Semi Final

Sunday 14^th April 2024
Semi Final
Manchester United vs. Chelsea

For on the journey to Wembley, all roads have led back to Leigh – or ‘Wemberleigh’, as it will be decreed from this day forth (in case my sister is reading this, no, ‘Wemberleigh’ isn’t ‘cringe’!) After watching a first round match on a 3G pitch just outside the stadium, I’ve returned to Leigh Sports Village via the North East and now the South East with today’s fixture seeing me back for the (semi) final time. Unlike the men’s game, where semi-finals are held at neutral grounds (or Wembley, as they have been since the new one was built), semi-finals in the Women’s FA Cup are held at the venue of the first teams out of the bag. United were drawn out first – but unlucky for them, the next team drawn were league title challengers, Chelsea. Home advantage vs. arguably the best side in the WSL. Who will reach Wembley proper?

I obviously would be saying this – what with the home side playing a couple of miles from my house and thus helping me save lots and lots (and lots) of money yet again – but not playing the semi final at a neutral ground is the right choice. We’re still in the very early stages of development in women’s professional football, so the crowd numbers simply aren’t there to warrant the games being held at neutral venues right now. Hosting the semis at a participant’s ground ensures an attendance that will likely surpass the average number, considering the magnitude of the occasion. Another benefit is that it lends even more prestige to the final – one of the major criticisms of the men’s semi-finals being held at Wembley is that it takes a little gloss off the showpiece occasion. Reaching Wembley should be the pinnacle, an honour fitting for the showpiece game that the final is – I think the men’s game loses out on that a little bit. Saying that, just like they’ve done on the odd occasion for league games, I was half-expecting this game to be switched to Old Trafford to boost numbers even further. I don’t know if FA Cup rules allow for it but if they do, I suppose switching may run the risk of players struggling to express their usual game in unfamiliar surroundings. Plus, I can’t get the bus direct to Old Trafford so it’s fine by me.

There’s been much speculation and pressure placed on both managers in the run-up to this game. United’s Marc Skinner is out of contract in the summer and is apparently in discussions about a new one. However, after an inconsistent season in the WSL that has seen them drop out of Champions League contention, some supporters have put him under some ‘heavy criticism’, even going as far as chanting for his dismal at a recent training camp in Malta. In fairness to Skinner, he’s defended the supporters for doing this, indicating that ‘everyone is entitled to their opinion’. How interesting would it be if he would deliver the club’s first trophy in the shape of the FA Cup this season? They’ll have to give him a new contract, surely?

Chelsea’s Emma Hayes is definitely off at the end of the season, having agreed to take charge of the United States’ national side. With her Chelsea side still in contention for the WSL title, England’s most-decorated women’s coach is hoping to end her twelve years in charge of the club with a treble – downgraded from a quadruple a fortnight ago, after they lost in the final of the Continental Cup (the Football League Cup-equivalent). This match caused, shall we say, some ‘controversy’ in the media as after the 1-0 extra-time defeat to Arsenal, Hayes refused to shake opposition manager, Jonas Eidevall’s hand, instead pushing him away.

In the post-match interview, she cited ‘male aggression’ [on the touchline] on Eidevall’s part as the reason for her reaction. It’s since been speculated by regular watchers of the WSL that it may have been a crafty diversionary tactic on her part, something she’s not been averse to doing. Apparently, Eidevall was shouting at the fourth official over a violation of an agreement to use a ‘single ball system’. Prior to the match, Arsenal wanted to use a multi-ball system (in which balls are placed at the side of the pitch for easy grabbing – ideal if you want to get on with the game quickly), while Chelsea wanted to use a single-ball system (where it has to be fetched – ideal to waste time/take the sting out of the game). They eventually agreed on the single-ball, and in extra-time with Arsenal a goal up, the ball was kicked out and a Chelsea player grabbed another to quickly get on with the game. This is what led to Eidevall’s reaction and Hayes’ resulting fury (although I’d speculate the defeat mostly contributed to that!) As a result, the hornet’s nest of men’s role in the women’s game has been kicked over once again and internet bores have been regaling us with their opinion that the women’s game is ‘crap’ for the umpteenth time this year, citing this incident and Hayes’ ill-judged comments as proof. If it were indeed a diversionary tactic, I’d like to say (in a non-aggressive way), that it was a very poor decision by Hayes and will do nothing to help the women’s game.

With Chelsea still involved in the title race – and not to mention, being ahead of their opponents by 15 points after 17 games – it can be easy to assume that today’s tie is a foregone conclusion. Chelsea are going to win today, quite comfortably. That’s the beauty of cup football though – when it’s a game of knockout, form and perceived team quality goes out of the window; the pressure ramps up knowing that you’re just a swipe of the ball away from losing this competition. A good example of this is United’s recent tie with Southampton (which was arguably an even larger quality gap, considering Southampton play in the Championship) – after drawing level, Southampton were on top for a spell and could have notched ahead, potentially closing out the game from there. However, United managed to keep them at bay and used their quality at the other end of the field to score the late-clinching goals. Cup football emphasises that ‘professional attitude’ – this isn’t a league match where any shock defeat can be put to one side; if you’re not up for a cup tie, you could get beat and you’ll be out. United have had that attitude in the cup so far – but so have Chelsea; reaching the final of one competition and being involved in the latter stages of the other three. No matter the format, they’ve shown their quality and professionalism throughout. So, we’re in for some game today!

I’m sitting in the West Stand today for a change – this is the ‘main stand’ here at the LSV, well, it’s the one with the hospitality boxes, anyway. Sadly, I’m not sat in there, munching on some posh Marks and Spencer’s butties and crisps, I’m sat close to the corner flag instead. I’ve chosen this area to watch the match because it’s close to the supporters behind the goal who have tended to be more boisterous – but the ‘spiciness’ is happening just down the row from me, as a group of United supporters sing to the sizeable Chelsea supporter in the stand opposite to ‘go on home’, to the tune of the timeless nursery rhyme, ‘This Old Man’. Not a single swear word or accusation on the character was uttered, just a polite scolding!

I was slightly worried that tickets might be hard to obtain for the game, what with it being a semi-final and the initial phase only being open to season ticket holders and club members. Theoretically, all of Manchester United’s membership base could have got a ticket for the game – the club were even offering a £22 deal to see them play Chelsea in this match and a WSL encounter at Old Trafford next month. Thankfully for me, it didn’t sell out, so I was able to purchase with relative ease. I was both pleased and disappointed at this – although obviously pleased at being able to obtain a ticket, I would have thought a game of this magnitude, against one of the best sides in the game, might have attracted a sell-out crowd, so it was a disappointment. LSV is a tiny ground in comparison to Old Trafford and travelling to it isn’t that difficult, considering coaches are laid on from Old Trafford.  As it is, we’ve got an above-average crowd here today, which is great and all, but it’s been swelled by around a thousand Chelsea supporters too.

The teams enter the field to much whooping and hollering – the United supporters are sensing they can take advantage of a tired Chelsea today. Aside from their opponents’ busy schedule and the negative press after the Arsenal game, what’s perhaps given them confidence is that the Blues are missing key players in the shape of captain, Millie Bright and Sam Kerr – arguably the best forward player in the women’s game right now. It says a lot about the depth of quality Chelsea have, that they’re still able to field several other big-name internationals – one of whom is Lauren James, who signed for them from United almost three years ago. The supporters behind the other goal – the one with the terrace (which is actually the first time I’ve seen it open on this, my fourth-ever visit here!) – give her name a pantomime boo when it’s announced. Is there some drama here that I’m not aware of?  Are they not happy at her leaving for Chelsea? Are they simply trying to create a sense of intimidation for Chelsea’s foremost attacking talent right now? Whatever their reasoning, it’s forgotten barely a minute into the game – as their side take the lead.

From kick-off, the ball pings between the two sides, eventually landing at the feet of Mary Earps, who boots it long, out to the left. After a flick-on, Chelsea defender Eve Perisset looks like she’s going to clear, but she doesn’t get much on the ball, allowing United’s Leah Galton to race away and cross it into the penalty area where Lucia Garcia is on hand to head past Hannah Hampton and into the net. Earps goes mental, screaming her delight at us sitting near the corner flag – what a start for the underdogs! Despite the early blow, Chelsea gather themselves rather quickly and start to dictate the game, almost immediately after the restart. Moving the ball quickly, they shift it wide right towards Johanna Kaneryd – she cuts inside and shoots straight at Earps who does well to hold onto the ball. Just as it seems the away side is warming up – and their expectant supporters are banging drums and chanting – before long, the other three sides of the ground erupt once again.

There doesn’t seem to be much on as Ella Toone is shepherded out towards the left touchline – she’s barely retaining control of the ball. However, she does gain control and manages to turn away from her marker, crossing the ball with her other foot into the penalty area where Rachel Williams is rushing into this time, planting an emphatic header past Hampton for 2-nil! Against the run-of-play, but who cares? United have doubled their lead against the favourites after barely a quarter of the game has gone. I’ve no idea about Marc Skinner’s usual management style or tactics (it’s been hard to judge in the games I’ve seen so far, considering they’ve played teams they’ve been expected to beat) – although I wouldn’t be surprised if he told his side to try and hit a weakened Chelsea early on, I doubt even he would have dreamed of the start they’ve made here!

Chelsea, again, respond well – dominating the ball and patiently searching for gaps in the United defence. Aside from the early save, Earps has largely been untroubled – her defence has made several last-ditch challenges to prevent any meaningful attempt at her goal. Their commitment to sitting back to defend is appreciated by those around me, typified by an incident near me, as they roar a crunching tackle put in by Galton. No doubt due to the occasion, the United support have been very animated throughout the first half – standing in anticipation every time they play it forward. Fortunately for me, I’m of above-average height, so I can stay seated and still look over the heads of the majority of women in the crowd who stand up. After Chelsea finally do breech their side’s defence, only to see an effort deflected wide, the United supporters take the opportunity to remind the away contingent of the score and that they ‘aren’t singing anymore’. They spoke too soon.

As the half draws to a close, Chelsea create several more chances – the pick of them being a cross that was headed just over the bar, while another header was pushed wide by Earps. With just a minute of added time to go, the Blues finally make their pressure tell – and who else bags their goal, but Lauren James. Some good combination play between Niamh Charles and Erin Cuthbert sees the former run down the left side of the penalty area, get to the byline and pull the ball back to the penalty spot where James is on hand to sidefoot in. Chelsea are back in it – and there’s even time for a spot of wrestling between James and her England teammate, Hayley Turner on the goal line as the defender picked up the ball to prevent James from retrieving it – both get booked for their efforts. Naturally, James was booed when her name was announced as the scorer! It’s two-one at half-time and I must say it’s gone by in a blur – by some distance the most entertaining half of football I’ve seen in this FA Cup run. Not just in terms of the quality of the play, but everything surrounding it – the atmosphere, the commitment both teams are showing – United desperately defending, Chelsea desperately attacking, and yes, the pantomime fun between Manchester United and Lauren James too!

It’s been a great first half for United, obviously, but with their season (and his job, potentially) riding on whatever happens in the second forty-five minutes, I’d imagine Skinner needs to deliver one of his better team talks here to preserve his side’s lead. That late goal will only work to embolden Chelsea – they’ve dominated all but the first five minutes of the game, with their better chances coming within the last ten minutes, their momentum building. It’s one of football’s most well-worn cliches but it’s clear here at 2-0 was a dangerous lead – especially when you’re up against the attacking quality of Chelsea! If they went in two goals behind at half-time, it would have seen heads lowered and fingers pointed. As it is, the goal just before the break will see determination broadcast on faces and fists being pumped. On the opposite side, the United players may be worried that their hard-fought lead will be overturned quickly, adding a sense of trepidation to the dressing room atmosphere. And this is where the coaches earn their money – can Skinner inspire his side to stand strong? Can Hayes inspire her side to overrun their opponents? Can the lady at the back of the long toilet queue I just passed get to do her business in time and return to her seat for the start of the second half? It’s all to play for!

As expected, Chelsea do come out hard – conducting several raids on the United backline in the opening couple of minutes, with more blocks and last-ditch tackles preventing certain goals. Clearly, both managers have communicated their messages well. Chelsea’s best chance during all this was a headed cross that Earps had to stretch to save – I have a feeling that’s not the last time she’s going to be doing that! The key component for the away side in their attacking endeavours has been centre-forward Mayha Ramirez, who has been a handful for the home defence. Playing as a centre-forward, she’s physically much bigger than any of the United players (she’s 5ft 10, apparently), so everything is going through her, as she holds up the ball, looking to bring teammates into play. I’ve very rarely seen this amount of physicality in women’s football – these types of players are ten-a-penny in the men’s game, especially in the lower leagues – so it’s interesting to watch here.

The Blues continue to hammer at the door, with Earps making two saves in quick succession – the first being straight at her, while the other was straight out of the top drawer. Chelsea swing a cross into the penalty area, Lauren James (it had to be her!) jumps, heads towards goal and the ball looks every inch in – until Earps dives across to claw it away. What was great about this moment is that both players seemed to hang in the air for ages – James did well to get the header on target, while Earps had to adjust quickly just to be able to dive the right way; two great examples of what women’s football has to offer right there. The United support don’t waste the opportunity to let James know their delight. This drama could run and run!

Now I’m not saying Mary Earps likes to shithouse her way through games but midway through the half, she goes down with a knock (apparently); the break in play allowing her manager to regroup his players and make a change. He addresses the constant Chelsea onslaught by replacing Toone with Hayley Ladd – an attacking midfielder replaced by a more defensive one. Designed to help United retain the ball, it helps to a degree as their opponents are forced to play the ball out wide more, instead of going through the middle and Ramirez. Both sides start to make more changes as the game slides towards its final quarter – including appearances for England stalwarts Nikita Parris for United and Fran Kirby for Chelsea. Naturally, the flow of the game is interrupted which everyone in red no doubt appreciated. Mary Earps also helps in her own way – collecting a ball that went out on one side of her goal before walking behind the net with it to place on the other side. She receives a yellow card for her trouble.

United have a rare foray into the Chelsea penalty area but they can’t quite get a shot off – the ball breaks to near halfway where James picks it up. She turns but Ladd is there to put in the type of crunching challenge that I suspect she was put on the pitch for. Naturally, this moment produces many cheers on three sides of the stadium, with a supporter behind me bellowing ‘Take Lauren James off the pitch’, in another incident of polite barracking. With gaps appearing in an increasingly-desperate Chelsea team, players such as Parris and Melvine Malard (who was also subbed on earlier), are using their pace to run the ball away from Chelsea.

And United will be glad of such assets too, as eight minutes are added on at the end of the match – can their nerves hold? Funnily enough, they really should have sealed the game early on in that added time – Parris finds herself in heaps of space on the right; she bears down on goal and I don’t know if she got caught in two minds of whether to shoot or cross, but she hit the ball across goal and an onrushing Malard can’t quite reach it – Hampton getting a hand to it to deflect it away. Parris really should have just smashed it at goal instead. A deathly silence then hangs over the stadium when Ramirez lays off the ball to Aggie Beaver-Jones on the left of the penalty area – she takes a touch before firing into the side netting.

The theatre is amping up as the match reaches its conclusion – the United supporters going through a range of emotions; first, excitement and disappointment as Malard tries a speculative effort from long distance that goes a couple of yards wide and then dread, as Chelsea quickly get on with play and create a chance that’s blocked out for a corner. All the players – including the Chelsea goalie – are piled into the area as the corner-taker swings the ball in, everyone in the crowd holds their collective breath…

But they did it, they held on! United are in their second consecutive Women’s FA Cup final and the supporters jump up and down as the final whistle sounds, scarves and signs all being waved in jubilation (and possibly to rile up Lauren James, I don’t know). There’s an ironic twist to this win because not only have United beaten the side who beat them in last year’s final, this victory represents their first-ever win against Chelsea in any competition – so all things considered, this is probably the first genuine ‘upset’ I’ve seen during this run! Not many teams, bar Man City and Arsenal, have come close to competing with Chelsea in the last decade, so this result could well be a milestone in the women’s game in England.

So, there we have it. After following several teams throughout this competition, it’s Manchester United who are in the final. Just like me, they’ll be travelling from the ‘other’ Wembley here in Leigh to Wembley itself – from Wemberleigh to Wembley!

Manchester United 2
(Garcia, 1. Williams, 23)

Chelsea 1
(James, 45)

Attendance: 6,876

Next round: Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

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Brighton and Hove Albion Women vs. Manchester United Women - 2023-24 Women's FA Cup, Quarter Final

Saturday 9^th March 2024
Quarter Final
Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Manchester United

Brilliant, just brilliant. Despite the odds of a home draw or a visit to any of the three other North West teams left in the last eight being high, Manchester United get drawn away to Brighton Hove Albion – the furthest I could have travelled for a quarter-final tie! But that’s alright – I’ve been to Brighton before, I quite enjoyed visiting, in fact. Except the women’s team play in Crawley – again, that’s alright as I’ve been here before too, during my ‘doing the 92’ groundhopping project, so at least I’m familiar with the route. Then my plans are thrown into utter chaos – the tie gets switched to a Saturday, which happens to be my birthday! But that’s alright too, as more trains running on a Saturday, so I could even get home on the same day and make last orders if they have an afternoon kick-off. So, imagine my despair then, when the match is confirmed for an early-evening 5.15pm kick-off, meaning I’ll have no chance of getting back home. Cheers. I’m never being ‘peacock smug’ about anything, ever again!

Things are looking up though, as I board the train down to London when I birthday treat myself to a
gingerbread man with a football shirt on – which sounds pathetic, I know. Just to make things better – when I unwrap him, the gingerbread man is sporting a crooked smile, which I feel is mocking me. So, I bite his head off. Due to issues of time and cost, I’m getting an overnight coach back tonight, but the upside is that Crawley is relatively easy to get to; just a change in London and you’re there. I’ve come a long way (literally) since that whimsical frolic with nature in Penwortham.

Today’s tie is a repeat of last year’s semi-final, which United won. Held in Leigh, a crowd of over 4,000 saw an extremely entertaining game in which both sides held the lead, before Rachel Williams popped up with an 89^th-minute winner. Funnily enough, I watched this match – on a tiny television in a Blackpool bed and breakfast! Only in the job for two months at that point, Brighton’s American head coach, Melissa Phillips, got a great deal out of her side and almost pulled off a shock. Containing young forward talent, England’s Katie Robinson and Norway’s Elisabeth Terland, there’s certainly plenty to build on at Brighton – exciting, creative football to draw in the supporters. Fast-forward to today, however, and they’re struggling towards the bottom end of the WSL (10^th of 12 teams) and just last month, removed Phillips and installed Mikey Harris as interim head coach. Brighton cited ‘results and performances not being at the level we had expected’, given the ‘heavy investment’ into the squad and infrastructure as the reason for the change. What a difference a year makes.

Founded in 1967 by workers at the Post Office’s telephone exchange, Brighton GPO played in charity matches for the first few years of their existence, before becoming founder members of the Sussex Marlet Women’s League in 1969. The Marlet, by the way, is a mythical bird that appears on the coat of arms of Sussex – I assumed it was an electrical shop or something, sponsoring the league! The Brighton and Hove Albion supporters club also formed a women’s team during this period, winning local league competitions and even went on to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup in 1976 – although they were beaten 8-1 by Southampton Women (the ‘other’ Southampton we covered last time out!), and disbanded not long later.

After the FA ban on women’s football was lifted in 1971, small amounts of money started to trickle its way into the game with one such example being the sponsorship of Brighton GPO by local sports shop, Clapshaw & Cleave. This deal – which was no doubt arranged by C&C employee and Brighton GPO player, Julie Hemsley – saw the club renamed to ‘C&C Sports’, going on to win the 1979-80 Sussex Marlet League and various cup competitions, before joining the Home Counties League, which was considered a stronger competition.

During this period, the club were primarily playing at Southwick FC, while East Preston FC also served as an occasional venue. In 1990, Brighton and Hove Albion FC founded their ‘Football in the Community’ scheme, with the development of women’s football being high on their priority list. As such, C&C Sports became affiliated with Brighton and Hove Albion, changing their name and playing home matches at Sussex University, before pitching up at the Withdean Stadium; the council-owned athletics stadium which would also become the home of the men’s team in 1997, up until 2011. Hemsley was doing some coaching with the Community scheme by this point and the incorporation of the women’s side led to her being appointed as the club’s first ‘Community and Development Officer’, specifically focusing on the development of women’s and girl’s football. Later, she would combine this role with the assistant manager’s job with the English national team – experiences which would see her given a seat on the FA Council, developing the women’s game on a national scale. It was while with the FA that she encountered Hope Powell; an England international who would later become manager of the England senior team, as well as Brighton and Hove Albion.

Brighton grew steadily throughout the 1990s; winning several local competitions in Sussex – they even went on to have a two-season spell in the top flight of women’s football at the turn of the 21^st century. After various league restructurings saw them placed in the Southern Division of the Women’s Premier League, the 2000-01 season saw them pip Chelsea to the title by a single point to win promotion to the nationalised Premier League. Despite a relegation two years later, the club continued to develop coaching programmes throughout the area and by 2015 had announced an ambitious five-year plan to reach the Women’s Super League and qualify for the Champions League. It took three years for them to get to the WSL – although this was achieved due to another restructuring; their superior infrastructure was deemed ideal for the now-professionalised top flight and so were invited to join. Since then, the club have generally been stable in the WSL – operating in the lower half of the 12-team league – although they did finish in 11^th last season, only five points away from relegated Reading.

It was during the announcement of their joining of WSL1 that they announced that home games were to be played at Crawley FC of the men’s Football League; their Broadfield ground being some 20 miles away from the centres of Brighton and Hove. Interestingly though, there have been recent rumblings that the club may get their own stadium in the same complex as the men’s stadium at Falmer. In what would represent the first purpose-built stadium for a women’s football club, the plan to build a 10,000-capacity ground was voted on by the council back in October and although there will be more hurdles to overcome before a spade hits the ground, it no doubt represents an exciting project for the club and women’s football as a whole. The idea seems to hit the right balance between giving the women’s side their own facility from which to develop and grow, forging their own identity as they go, whilst still being part of the Brighton and Hove Albion ‘family’, on account of being in the same location as the men’s club. 

On arrival at Crawley station, I nip to The Railway pub for a pint – I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but it’s my birthday. It’s a nice and cosy pub – plenty of people milling about in the early afternoon, comfy seating, nice premium beers on tap – there are even two massive huskies just lounging on the floor, patiently waiting for a stray crisp to slip from the grasp of their owners. A welcome respite after the journey from Wigan this morning, on my birthday. The ground is roughly a mile away from here, mostly done via ‘Southgate Avenue’ (or the A2004, if you’re boring) – funnily enough, current England men’s manager, Gareth Southgate, is from Crawley. While I’m sure it’s a coincidence that the road is called this, if he does go on to lead England to a major trophy, the local council should pretend that they’ve named it after him and claim the adulation and good press that’ll follow. Just before the ground comes into sight, I pass through a pedestrian tunnel that’s decorated with the red-and-white colours of Crawley FC, along with a painting of a massive football – just so you know where the tunnel leads to. How handy.

Broadfield was ‘only’ built in 1997 (if I remember the year, it can’t be that long ago) and is a decent enough ground – named after the area of Crawley that sits behind, the stadium is made up from a combination of terracing and seating. I’m sitting in the East Stand today, which is the newest at the ground after the original terracing was demolished in 2011 for an all-seated stand to make the stadium compliant with Football League regulations. Once I’m scanned in with my e-ticket and enter, I feel that the stand doesn’t seem like it’s only 12 years old – there are supporting pillars running in front which are largely a relic of grounds of the 20^th century, or temporary stands that have been designed to be transported. There’s no concourse, instead the food van and toilets are located in a corner – I’m imagining a long queue of women and girls, running down the front of the stand during half-time, patiently waiting to use the facilities, while I mischievously stroll into the empty men’s. Maybe we’ll see the toilet gender balance redressed if/when Brighton Women do get their own stadium? An interesting factor to consider in stadium fitting plans, I’m sure!

The pre-match atmosphere is building nicely; the walk to my seat sees me go past a band with multiple drums being hammered and trumpets being blared – think of a military band playing Ska music. Madness. Leading the clapping is Brighton’s mascot, Sally Seagull – she’s the female equivalent of ‘Gully’, who usually appears alongside her at Brighton games, but I can’t see him here. Should I take my chance and ask Sally out for a birthday pint back at The Railway, later? A neat addition to the supporter experience here is the availability of the match programme – which has been advertised as a download via QR codes printed on posters attached around the ground. The supporters around me are very respectful – clapping both sides heartily as they emerge onto the pitch and kick-off. Lining up for United is Maya Le Tissier – who they signed from Brighton in the summer of 2022, going on to make her England debut.

Earpsforce One is here as well – just like in Eastleigh last month, every touch of the ball by England’s No1 Mary Earps has been met with screams of MARYYYYYYYYYY like she’s all of The Rolling Stones circa 1966. During this match, she would rush off her line to punch away a cross and it was met with cheers worthy of any goal – no joke; you can say she's quite popular everywhere she goes! What I find interesting though is the continuing trend of supporters being attracted to the game because of players, rather than the clubs’ themselves. How many people are here to see the teams or to see England stars like Earps and Ella Toone in the flesh?

I remember hearing as far back as the men’s 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea that people in that part of the world like to ‘follow players’ (such as David Beckham), which I found bizarre at the time. Yes, by all means, admire a player for their deeds on the pitch, that’s just good sportsmanship and a respectful nod to their talents, but the concept of following them and not having your own club per se was baffling. Unthinkable, even. Watching a football team was all about being part of a collective, being together – how can you do that with a player? They aren’t pop stars! It’s a team game, there’s plenty more where they came from! Twenty years later and with games in leagues around the world easily available to watch and social media pushing the personalities of players, it’s quite common now to see supporters changing one shirt for another when their favourite player moves on. They are popstars, people do feel ‘together’ in their fandom of said figure – Mary Earps is the Taylor Swift of the WSL. But will supporters follow Earps – or any of the top players in the women’s game – if they move on? How will that affect the growth of clubs’ going forward? How can women’s football take advantage of this ‘pop star’ quality it’s quickly growing? Will Sally Seagull text me back? All questions I’m pondering as the match kicks off.

United wasted no time in opening the scoring – they’ve spent the first eight minutes or so camped in the Brighton half; red shirts passing the ball along the floor with ease, as blue-and-white figures chase its shadow. A Katie Zelem corner isn’t cleared and after a game of head tennis in the penalty area, the ball finds its way back to Zelem on the right, she cuts inside on her left foot, swings the ball in and centre-back Millie Turner loses her marker to head in. Too easy for the away side as the goal is met with loud cheers – and not just from the ‘official’ supporters behind the goal, but from some of the ‘neutrals’ around me too. The songs about Wembley echo even louder not long later, as Toone and Melvine Malard combine to slip the ball to Nikita Parris, running into the Brighton penalty area – she takes a touch before firing past Sophie Baggerly in the home goal.

It feels like it’s game over already – most Brighton supporters around me are muted, but nevertheless, still smiling; enjoying the occasion and the atmosphere whipped up by the band. Sophie Baggerly probably isn’t enjoying the occasion though, as the beleaguered Brighton goalie is kept busy throughout the rest of the half (saying that, maybe she is enjoying showing off her skills? Must be a weird conundrum being a goalkeeper – you don’t want your team to give up loads of chances, but at the same time you want to be kept busy because it allows you to make saves and be all impressive?). Baggsy (as I’ll be calling her from now on), does manage to make a great save, as she palms a looping shot from just outside the area, over the bar. United have several other close chances that go wide and over – the most guilt-edged chance being when Brighton decide to play out from a goal-kick. After playing a one-two with one of her defenders, Baggsy hits the ball too hard at another defender, she loses it and somehow – from almost on the penalty spot – United’s Lisa Naalsund blasts her shot over, with the ball hitting the front of the stand and bouncing onto the outside of the net, in an almost-mocking manner.

Brighton are working hard, trying to close down United, but they’re simply quicker all across the pitch – and large gaps are now appearing as the half draws to a close. Chasing the game, the home side lose the ball on halfway and it’s played up to Malard. The Frenchwoman is in the penalty area after playing a one-two with Toone. Baggsy tries to close her down, but after slipping the ball under her, it looks like Malard will score. However, the ball hits the post and rolls agonisingly across the goal-line – but Lucia Garcia is on hand to tap in. Three-nil and categorically game over now. The band try and trumpet up some support, and their team at least respond with a couple of half chances – the best coming just before the whistle as a low shot is pushed away by Earps, earning yet more celebratory screams from her dedicated fan club. It’s been tough on Brighton; they’ve been given the runaround by their visitors, who look leagues better in every department.

The second half sees United attacking the end that I'm sat close to; I’m sat in-line with the penalty area, and after being starved for action in the first half, I’ve got a great view of the visitors’ fast-attacking, which naturally resumes when the half starts. Brighton are still chasing shadows as Malard in particular has a couple of good chances – Baggsy making two good saves from her; the second of which being a one-on-one that she did well to push wide. It wasn’t long until she’s beaten again, however – and in some style. A United corner is only half-cleared to the edge of the penalty area, Malard plays it to Naaslund on the left-side of the area, she cuts inside past a defender and absolutely wellies a shot across goal that flies past Baggsy and into the corner of the net. Brilliant goal – the shot was exactly what her earlier attempt wasn’t; powerful but with control.

Aside from Toone and Malard running the show for United up front, another forward who has impressed me has been Parris. She’s been a handful all game – really awkward for the defenders to deal with. She’s been constantly popping up in attacking space, running at – and beyond – defenders. I’ve only ever seen her play out wide (usually as an impact sub) for England, where she tends to drift in and out of games, with little space to play in. After watching her during this FA Cup run – and here today – she seems to be used more centrally by Marc Skinner; at different times she’s dropping deep, going wide or sprinting beyond defenders. Even I’m having trouble picking her up, so I can only imagine what the Brighton defence must feel like! Just to underline all this, she has a great chance late on; running towards the area with the ball before unleashing a strike that Baggsy does brilliantly to tip wide. Parris should have a couple of goals, Baggsy should be bagging player of the match for Brighton.

One aspect of the women’s game that has been praised in recent years, has been the lack of theatrics. There are some post-tackle afters when Garcia pushes Brighton defender, Jorelyn Carabali down on the ground – right in front of me too. But instead of rolling around or complaining to the ref, Carabali just got on with it. Fair play – maybe you can argue it was pointless to try anything while 4-0 down, but I’ve not seen any playacting at all during this FA Cup run, so I somehow doubt it would have happened even if the scores were closer. Now, I’m not saying it doesn’t happen in women’s football, just that it doesn’t happen anywhere near as much as in the men’s game. The reason for this can be put down to the one-hundred-and-fifty years of professionalism and big-money prestige that’s been attached to men’s competitions. Every game means something, so players will try anything to win and so this behaviour is engrained within professional men’s football – professional women’s football is still in its early developmental stage. Now, the question is, will theatrics start to appear more if/when the women’s game starts to bring in more money and prestige? Let’s see where we are in a decade or so…

The visitors see out the game comfortably, with Brighton unable to create much of note – United through to yet another semi-final. Can they make it two finals in a row? Their travelling supporters seem to think so – they’re singing about Wembley again as they receive applause from their team; scarves and signs being held aloft for them to see. I actually experienced all this first-hand, as I somehow got lost and ended up having to walk around the ground, in front of the away supporters and through a gate at the opposite end of the ground! No idea why I didn’t go back the way I came? I’m off back to London (via The Railway pub) to spend my life savings on a couple of pints before my overnight coach home. It is my birthday if I’ve not mentioned it. Got to make the most of it.

Brighton and Hove Albion 0

Manchester United 4
(Turner, 8. Parris, 17. Garcia, 45. Naalsund, 59)

Attendance: 3,701

Next round: Manchester United vs. Chelsea

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Manchester United Women vs. Newcastle United Women - 2023-24 Women's FA Cup, Fourth Round

Sunday 14^th January 2024
Fourth Round
Manchester United vs. Newcastle United

It’s 9.30 on a Tuesday morning, I should be listening to Christmas songs on Smooth Radio while I work, but instead, I’m trying to figure out Instagram (or ‘The Gram’, as I believe the youngsters call it?) Anyway, the draw for the fourth round of the FA Women’s Cup is being broadcast on the social media website and what with the Fourth Round being the entry point for the top-level Women’s Super League clubs, it’s an exciting occasion. Imagine my elation when the draw is made – Newcastle, the team I’m following now, only get last season’s runners-up, Manchester United away! If you don’t know already, Manchester United play at Leigh Sports Village – but the actual stadium this time! Having seen the First Round match between Wigan and Chorley here from the outside of a cage housing a 3G pitch, it’s quite the contrast.

Regardless of whenever it turns out positively for me, I love the openness of the FA Cup draw – yes, the ‘bigger’ clubs enter at different stages, but unlike other sports, the leading names aren’t protected by a ranking, meaning they can draw anyone home or away. This makes any ‘meaningful’ tie (one against a big/notable club, a local rivalry or anything else) that bit more special – the draw is random and therefore, it must be a fate that this tie has been created.  This is a plum tie for the Magpies, what with their hosts being a leading WSL side, containing several England internationals and last season’s Women’s FA Cup runners up to boot – but it’s also a plum tie for me (and my wallet) because the stadium is a mere 7 miles away from my home! Two quid on the bus. I’m feeling as smug as a peacock in full plumage, let me tell you.

Primarily home to Leigh Leopards Rugby League club, Manchester United use the stadium to host their men’s reserves (since 2014) and women’s teams, since their creation in 2018. The 12,000-capacity stadium is the centrepiece of a council scheme that saw the regeneration of the local area, with other sporting facilities – the 3Gs we’ve already experienced, an athletics track, sports centre, swimming pool – as well as retail spaces, a hotel and the Leigh campus of Wigan & Leigh College. I feel it’s become a trend to deride 21^st-century development schemes as ‘pie in the sky’; poorly-thought out ideas that would never work in reality, but the LSV development has genuinely been a success in its remit to offer top-class sports, health and education facilities. It’s rather heartening then, to see a professional women’s football club and the thousands of people who come and watch them every other week continuing to add to that success.

I get to Leigh about an hour before kick-off, so to while away the time, I decide to get one of my ‘five a day’ (cider) in at The Whistling Wren, the evocatively-named pub/restaurant that sits close to the stadium. There are a lot of people in here already, so I elect to sit outside and take in the stark contrast to when I was last here, during the Euros 18 months ago. After enjoying a previous match in Group C between Portugal and Switzerland (a 2-2 draw), I was fortunate enough to grab a last-minute ticket to see the Portuguese take on Sweden on a sweltering hot day. 7,118 people came to see that final group match that day, as the Swedes ran out 5-0 winners. Pre-match, the immediate area was awash with supporters from all over the place and a real party atmosphere was being enjoyed, as the bright sunlight exquisitely mixed with the different types of people, colours and sounds that swamped the Leigh landscape. I was even wearing shorts such was the occasion – and I only do this in the gym or in Tenerife. Today, it’s not quite as warm, with the weather being something that a polar bear would wear a jacket in. But at least I have my cider to remind me of those halcyon days gone by.

The fact that it took until 2018 for a football club the size of Manchester United – arguably the biggest in the world – to establish a professional women’s team (especially considering all their rivals had already done so, and enjoyed great success), mystified many. There had been unofficial United teams in operation since the FA lifted their ban in the 1970s, but they were described as ‘supporter teams’ and initially played other unofficial teams of other clubs. As the women’s game grew and became increasingly more organised in the 1980s, ‘Manchester United Supporters Club Ladies’ emerged and were founder members of the Manchester & District League. This league would later merge with other regional leagues to become the North West Women’s Regional League (which is still in existence today, occupying the 5^th and 6^th tiers of the women’s football pyramid).

By the early 1990s, the club approached Manchester United for support and formal recognition – which they got; they agreed to let them use The Cliff, United’s training complex at the time, were allowed to use the name ‘Manchester United Ladies FC’ and were even advertised in the men’s matchday programme. It seemed, what with women’s football steadily growing and moving towards professionalism in the early-2000s, that Man Utd would be at the forefront – then new ownership happened. In 2005 – ironically, the year that England hosted the 2005 Women’s Euros in the North West – Manchester United scrapped their women’s side. The sweeping changes brought in as a result of the takeover by the Glazer family saw several cuts made, which included the women’s club. Instead, they decided to concentrate their resources on community coaching for school-age children – but with no organised team to play for at United, girls had to search for a senior side to continue their progress in the game. Apparently, The Manchester United Foundation (the community initiative assigned to youth coaching) would coach as many as 3,000 girls in age groups up until under-16. Naturally, competition for places within other clubs was already high – especially considering they had their own youth players to develop – so with a smaller pool of professional clubs to choose from, it’s not hard to see that a lack of a senior team at United would have been an impediment for many girls to progress further.

As women’s football continued to progress throughout the 2010s, the noise about how the biggest and most well-equipped football club in England not having a senior women’s team was deafening – by 2018, they were the only Premier League club to not have a women’s side. Perhaps finally realising that there was some long-term commercial viability in the women’s game, United announced the formation of a professional women’s club for the 2018-19 season, which was immediately parachuted into the Championship. Appointing former England captain, Casey Stoney, as head coach, United quickly recruited a strong side (which included several players who had played in their youth set-up but had to leave to pursue a career – such as Katie Zelem and Ella Toone). United won the league at a canter, earning a promotion to the WSL and have since grown steadily – last season, now under the management of Marc Skinner, they finished as runners-up to Chelsea in both the league and this very competition – a second-half goal by Sam Kerr separating the teams at Wembley last May in front of a record Women’s FA Cup attendance of 77,390. Clearly, they’re a club on the up – it’s just a shame they couldn’t have formed a decade or so before!

United have made a somewhat slow start to this season – with expectations high after the relative success of last season, Skinner has come under criticism from a section of the fanbase. The supporters’ displeasure at performances has led to cardboard ‘Skinner Out’ signs being spotted at games. Currently, United are points behind leaders Chelsea in the WSL, they didn’t get past the group stage in the League Cup, and they were knocked out of the Champions League in the second qualifying round by Paris St Germain, leaving the FA Cup as their only realistic prospect of silverware. You’d imagine Skinner, whose contract expires at the end of the season, needs to win it to stand a chance of holding back the critics and earning a new deal. In fairness, it does seem he’s been hamstrung a little; he’s had to contend with several injuries to key players and then there’s the ongoing ownership saga at Manchester United, which has undoubtedly affected their ability to recruit and retain players. Alessia Russo – starting striker for England in the World Cup – apparently had a contract offer withdrawn in the summer and so left on a free to sign for Arsenal. Recently, INEOS billionaire, Jim Radcliffe, has purchased a stake in the club and taken over the running of its football operations, with plans for the women’s side not clear as of yet.

Another key part of the United team is goalkeeper Mary Earps, who this week came to national attention once again, winning the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award. Voted for by viewers, it’s the second year in a row that an England Lioness has won, with Beth Mead taking the trophy home last year. This has rather, shall we say ‘upset’, some viewers who have labelled the win as a ‘box ticking exercise’ by the BBC as aside from winning the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper in the World Cup and being a key part of England reaching the final, Earps ‘hasn’t achieved anything’ of note. Personally, I think heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson (who was voted third) should have won it – she did, after all, win gold in the World Athletics Championship that year. But as the award is voted on by the public, it’s only logical to assume that it’s the fact women’s football is more popular than athletics is the reason why Mary won the award. More people are aware of her and what she achieved and voted that way. Maybe critics should bear that in mind the next time they say ‘nobody watches women’s football’?

Speaking of which, over four-and-a-half thousand people have turned up to Leigh on this gloomy Sunday afternoon – a good thousand of them being from Newcastle. On my way to the stadium, I pass several coaches that have driven down from the North East – and Old Trafford. There’s no train station in Leigh, with only a guided busway offering a connection to Manchester. So, to get as many United supporters to Leigh as possible, United’s travel club lay on transport to every game at LSV. Interestingly, I think this makes for a better atmosphere – getting on board with your fellow supporters outside the ground, the coach offers an environment for people to unite in anticipation and camaraderie. A solitary car journey confines people to their own bubble, whereas the coach fosters interaction and connections; views are aired, songs are sung, hopes are declared. When you arrive at your destination, you carry all of that into your seat, as you try and affect the game with your cheers. And some coach providers allow you to take bags of cans on, which I suspect is fuelling many of the Newcastle supporters who are shouting ‘Tooooooooooon’ in the East Stand right now.

As for me, I’m sitting in West Stand and I’m cursing myself for not getting here earlier, as it’s quite packed – I usually like to sit on the end of a row for easy entry/exit so I don’t bother people. However, on this occasion, I’m having to squeeze in between two groups of people and as I turn to the only available seat, I see it has bird shit on it. Typical. Thankfully, it’s dry and as I use an old Aldi receipt to wipe my hands just in case, I’m struck by the realisation that we’re in the fourth round now, with thousands coming to games instead of hundreds. Those times when I could rock up 5 minutes before kick-off are long gone now. Aside from us in here and the Newcastle supporters opposite, there’s a decent number of home supporters behind one goal, while the other (the terracing) is closed – but there are several United flags erected there and somewhat fortuitously, the colour scheme of the LSV itself is red, white and black (which were Leigh RLFC’s traditional colour scheme, before they rebranded to ‘Leopards’ last year). It’s easy to imagine that all this works to provide a ‘home feeling’ for United’s supporters and players, which can only help the atmosphere, driving the team forward – many women’s football clubs don’t have a specific home to call their own – one that they’re able to deck out in their colours – so any perceived ‘home advantage’ will be minimal. Here, everything is in place for them – even the colour scheme.

United have named a strong side for the visit of third-tier Newcastle, which I wasn’t expecting, as England players Ella Toone and BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023, Mary Earps, start. However, they’ve just returned from a mid-season training camp in Malta, with their last competitive game being a month ago, so it makes sense that they’ll want to brush off the cobwebs by naming their regular players in today’s team. Earps is definitely winning the battle for popularity amongst the supporters here too – I know this because there’s a plethora of cardboard signs telling me so. This is a unique phenomenon in the women’s game – the only time I’ve seen signs at a men’s game, it’s usually a bedsheet asking for a manager’s head or of late, requesting a player’s shirt. This has received criticism from the football community, citing ‘fan entitlement’ which has ‘gone out of control’ – and with the women’s game offering easier interactions, it’s been an issue that has reportedly made some players uncomfortable. In fairness, I don’t see any shirt request signs here today – they’re just saying how great Mary is. They’ve used glitter pens and everything, it’s quite impressive.

What isn’t impressive, at least in my opinion, is Manchester United’s mascot, Fred The Red. The anthropomorphic representation of a devil looks like a cartoon character from the 90s, all garish and shiny, complete with a nose and stupid grin on his face. Here he is now, waving to us and slapping his badge to chants of 'Fred The Red' from supporters. I feel sick. He’s wearing number 55 and as I’m Googling why that’s the case, I instead come across an article that says he’s the highest-paid mascot in the Premier League. Allegedly, he gets £70,000-a-year – that can’t be right, surely? Seventy. Thousand. Pounds. Even half that is a fantastic wage to wear a foam head, wave at people and just generally piss about at events. If anyone at United is reading this – I know times have been hard with the billion-pound investment and everything – but I’m willing to help out and do it for just £30k. Meal and travel allowance on top. As for why he wears 55? No idea – even some of the United supporters don’t know. Dan Brown should write a book on it – he likes that mystery numbers coupled with religious iconography and stuff.

Thankfully, the game soon kicks off and Fred goes off to spend his wages on some champagne or After Eights or something, and his WSL team naturally dominate the ball. A few early shots are either deflected wide or skied over the bar from distance as the players work to find their range – already, it seems it could be a long day for Newcastle here. Rather aptly, just as I noted that down, Newcastle come into the game and start to keep the ball and the United defence work. On two occasions, they get close to the penalty area but it’s just that final ball that’s lacking – one was hit too hard and ran out of play, the other wasn’t hit hard enough and was easily intercepted. It’s just a warning for the Reds – as they spend most of their time ripping apart sides in the third tier, Newcastle are very practised in creating chances out of nothing.

Just to endorse what I’ve just said – United nearly take the lead as a shot from just inside the area is tipped onto the bar by Grace Donnelly, then her team collect the ball, go up the other end and just as it seemed they’re bearing down on Earps, United make a last-ditch tackle. It’s exciting end-to-end stuff at the moment and the supporters are slightly uncomfortable – but they do make me laugh, as the way they’re supporting the team is slightly different from what I’m used to. As an example – instead of going absolutely mental over a free-kick and swearing their heads off in front of children, a poorly-taken free-kick is met with some ‘polite criticism’ which went along the lines of ‘Is this the men’s team?’. I can only imagine the amount of salt that would be cried by a social media critic of the women’s game if they heard that. Fair play, that’s good banter!

Newcastle’s resistance lasts for 28 minutes – Lucia Garcia outmuscles her marker on the left, cuts the ball inside towards Nikita Parris; it’s blocked but finds its way to the edge of the penalty area where Toone takes a touch to get away from a defender before shooting and looping the ball over Donnelly and into the middle of the goal. Toone scores against the Toon! United continue to pressure after the restart – they’ve been tested in the last 15 minutes, with Newcastle constantly hitting them on the break but they’re composed now and are keeping the ball again. Toone is involved in the second goal 10 minutes later – from the left touchline, she crosses high, and Parris finds the space amongst a crowd of defenders to head home. The supporters around me think their side have a third in first-half injury time as another long ball into the box is headed in by Parris – but it’s ruled that she came back from an offside position. United are in complete control at half-time, despite having to withstand a spell where Newcastle looked threatening – it just goes to score the importance of making pressure count.

I go down into the stand during the break to try and find a programme seller, as I didn’t see one on the way in – and I’ve got no chance. The queue for food is snaking around the concourse, as is the one for the women’s toilets. This is something that never fails to me chuckle – it’s tough on the women and girls who need the toilet, obviously, but it’s a clear sign of the popularity of women’s football amongst a group of people who have been classically stereotyped as ‘not liking football’. Unfortunately, beyond requisitioning one of the men’s loos, there’s not much that can be done to remedy this issue in multi-purpose stadiums such as this. Maybe have gender-natural versions and assign them depending on the types of crowds that are expected? Naturally, I’ve got plenty of time to ponder all this as I saunter into the near-deserted men’s and take my sweet time, warming my cold hands under the dryer for good measure. I could get used to this luxury, it’s an amazing feeling.

Any hopes Newcastle had of holding off their hosts and get a foothold in the mountain they had to climb were ended just 10 minutes into the second half, as United get a fortunate goal to make it three. Centre-back, Maya Le Tisser, finds herself out on the right wing; she mishits a cross, the ball loops towards goal where Donnelly can only palm it out to Garcia who proceeds to play it across the 6-yard box to Parris and she bundles home. It’s a scruffy goal but those around me obviously don’t care as they sing ‘We’re going to Wembley’.

Feeling the match is done with, Skinner makes FOUR subs on 65 minutes, giving a rest to some of the regular starters and bringing on those who need some game time. One of the players who was replaced was the industrious Garcia and there was a nice moment as she walked around the pitch, giving high-5s to several kids who had lined up by the advertising hoardings. Again, summing up the family feeling this fixture helps – although I suspect it helps being 3-nil up too. One of the sub introductions for United was Rachel Williams, who I learn later is a plasterer by trade – celebrating her 36th birthday last week, she started her career at a time when there was little money women’s football, which shows just how quickly it’s grown to become fully professional. The former England international is quickly involved in the action as she hits a shot that canons off the bar – it falls back to her, and she proceeded to lift the ball over Donnelly to make it four. Dare I say great finish by the plasterer?

With only a couple of minutes left, the away support – who have been constantly singing throughout the game – make one last sign of appreciation of their side’s efforts; ‘Stand up if you love the Toon’ and waving their black-and-white scarves around. It looks great – it should be interesting to see what crowds they attract in the second tier if/when they get there. Their support during this run – the group of people that came to Skem, the crowd at Gateshead and the horde here at Leigh have been in great voice, constantly getting behind their girls. With the backing Newcastle United have, I would imagine more success is on the way for their new Women’s team. Although, I’m not sure why they’re standing up and saying they love the opposition number 7, Ella, though? Great player and all but she’s cost you a place in the next round.

As the added time of five minutes is announced, the United support chant 'We want five' and low-and-behold, they get their wish just a minute later. A corner is swung in and forward, Melvine Malard powerfully heads home. It finishes as an empathic win for United – Newcastle did struggle to keep up for large periods of the second half as their hosts passed around them, highlighting the gap between the divisions. In fairness, as one of the best sides in the WSL, United regularly score loads anyway, so perhaps the gap between Newcastle right now and the rest of the WSL isn’t that large? It’s nevertheless something to build on for the National League side as they look to getting into the Women's Championship. As for United, considering they were finalists last year and are still ranked in the upper region of the WSL table, so I’m already wondering if I'll be following them to Wembley? Let’s see what the draw brings – Leigh again? Can I be that lucky?

Manchester United 5
(Toone, 28. Parris, 37, 55. Williams, 71. Malard, 90)

Newcastle United 0

Attendance: 4,731

Next round: Southampton vs. Manchester United

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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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