Albion Women will play rivals Wolves for a place in the Birmingham County FA Challenge Cup final at the Alexander Stadium on Wednesday evening (ko 7.45pm).
It’ll be the third of four meetings with their Black Country adversaries this season, having already met them in the league and FAWNL Cup once - and still set for another league clash.
Siobhan Hodgetts-Still’s side are the holders of the competition, and beat Wolves on penalties in the quarter-finals en route to silverware, which they won at the Bescot Stadium thanks to a 6-2 victory over Rugby Borough - who also await the winner of this tie in the final.
Last time out
The Baggies booked their place in the last four with a win over Leafield Athletic in late January at the Alexander Stadium.
Forward Rhianne Oakley scored her third goal of the campaign, a cooly-taken effort to earn the hosts a spot in the semi-final.
The opposition
Rivals Wolves also play their football in the third tier, and remain second in the FAWNL Northern Premier.
They suffered a dent to their title hopes as they were beaten 1-0 by league leaders Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon.
Dan McNamara’s team secured their spot in the semi-finals with an 8-0 win over Birmingham City PGA. Braces from Amber Hughes, Charlotte Greengrass and Jade Cross were the foundations of their convincing win at the Wast Hills Training Ground - while Chloe Williams and Racheal Quigley also got on the scoresheet.
Wolves won the competition twice in a row recently - picking up the BCFA Challenge Cup trophy in 2021/22 and 2022/23.
Previous meetings
Wolves 0-1 Albion - January 2026
Hannah George scored her first Black Country derby goal in their most recent win against Wolves.
The Baggies secured their spot in the FAWNL Cup semi-finals with victory at the SEAH Stadium, Telford.
Albion 0-3 Wolves – December 2025
The visitors came out on top when Wolves visited the Alexander Stadium at the end of 2025. Anna Morphet, Amber Hughes and Amy Sims got on the scoresheet before the latter was sent off.
Wolves 5-0 Albion – March 2025
It was a tough afternoon at the Molineux when the Baggies went to Wolverhampton in March of last year. The visitors were beaten heavily.
Pre-match thoughts
Childhood Albion supporter Izzy Green has enjoyed her team’s two wins over Wolves in recent times.
The defender featured in both their BCFA Challenge Cup victory last season and their win over their Black Country rivals in the FAWNL Cup earlier in the current campaign.
It’s fair to say that the Baggies can produce a splendid showing against Wolves in one-off cup encounters, and it’s that exact reason that Green and her team-mates are raring to recreate a couple of “brilliant overall performances” when the two sides meet again on Wednesday.
Now, with two back-to-back wins behind them, the 21-year-old hopes they can “capitalise” on recent “momentum.”
She said: “We battled against Hull on Sunday and we matched them. We got the ball on the floor and scored two really good goals.
“We stepped off the gas a bit in the second half. We gave them a bit too much time and space, then when they scored - the game changed and we had to hold on because they’re going to go for it.
“We deserved the three points. Overall the performance was good and we were really pleased with that.
“The girls are gutted that we couldn’t keep that clean sheet in the game. That’s what we wanted, but to get two wins in the last two weeks is really good - it gives us a lot of confidence now to go into Wednesday with.
“In terms of my own selection, I’ve been on the right, the left, and in the middle of a back three. It’s changed a far bit but I’m happy to be playing wherever I’m asked, really.
“I hope the gaffer thinks I’m fairly versatile after this season, wherever I’m playing, be it a back three or back four.
“We really deserved our win over Wolves earlier in the season. It was a lovely goal from Han(-ah George) and it was a brilliant overall performance that everyone played their part in.
“We were a lot better on the day and we’re hoping to take that into Wednesday to get the same outcome from the match. We always prepare right and get everything that we should sorted in time for the game.
“We’ve got all of the momentum with the two recent wins behind us, we just need to capitalise on that now. Everyone wants to get back into the final and that would be brilliant for us - having back-to-back finals is amazing and that’s the main motivation for us.”
Ticket details
Supporters can back Hodgetts-Still’s side at the Alexander Stadium on Wednesday.
Tickets are priced at £6 Adults, £5 Seniors (65+), £5 20-25s, £4 Under-20s, £3 Under-17s and £2 Under-14s. Disabled tickets are priced £5.
They can be purchased online now, or on the gate at the Alexander Stadium on the day of the game.
Parking for supporters will be available at the Alex on Sunday. Those attending will be directed by stewards upon entry and asked to park on either the car park adjacent to the High Performance Centre, or the overflow section situated to the south side of the stadium.
For those unable to attend, coverage will be provided across Albion Women’s social media channels, as always.
