Albion Women will have one eye on a cup final as they host host AFC Bournemouth in their FAWNL Cup semi-final on Sunday afternoon (2pm).
The Baggies have already secured their best-ever run in the competition by reaching the last four, beating their efforts in 2016/17, where they exited the tournament at the hands of Charlton Athletic on penalties.
Should Siobhan Hodgetts-Still’s side beat the Cherries, they’ll face either Plymouth Argyle or Burnley in the final.
Last time out
The Baggies produced a resolute performance at the SEAH Stadium to beat rivals Wolves in the quarter-finals last week.
A 1-0 win, sealed by Hannah George’s deft second-half header, ensured the derby day bragging rights and a place in the last four.
The opposition
Visitors AFC Bournemouth are third in the opposite divisional branch of the third tier to Albion, the FAWNL Southern Premier.
The Cherries are fighting for a promotion place, with them currently sat level on points with second-placed Plymouth and just two away from the division’s pace-setters Watford.
Helen Bleazard’s side beat Swindon Town 3-0 in their FAWNL Cup quarter-final, where a brace from Sophie Quirk, either side of Kelci Bowers’ strike earned them the right to head to the Alex on Sunday.
The two sides met in pre-season, but Sunday will mark the first competitive fixture on record between the two outfits.
A cup run will surely help the Bournemouth side, as they look to challenge for promotion in their league season.
The cup run so far
Stourbridge 0-4 Albion – Group Stage
Strikes from Amya Hammond-McLean (2), Simran Jhamat and an own goal were the difference in the Baggies’ Group N opener against Stourbridge.
Albion 2-0 Leicester City – Group Stage
Hodgetts-Still’s side dominated early proceedings at The Hawthorns courtesy of strikes from Rhianne Oakley and Molly Kehoe, as they ran out victors in front of a home crowd.
Albion 2-0 Leafield Athletic – Group Stage
Once again, early Albion goals were the difference, as Phoebe Warner and Jhamat put enough daylight between the hosts and their tier-four opponents at the Alexander Stadium.
Albion 2-0 Stoke City – First Round
Warner continued her fine form when the Baggies hosted Stoke City, opening the scoring before Monique Robinson grabbed her first Albion goal – marking a rampant sixth victory in-a-row.
Albion (p)1-1 Leeds United – Last-16
Visiting Leeds went ahead midway through the first half, but Molly Kehoe forced in an equaliser for the hosts, leaving the tie to be settled by a penalty shootout which they subsequently won 4-2.
Wolves 0-1 Albion – Quarter-finals
Hodgetts-Still’s side ensured their second Black Country derby cup win in just over a year last weekend to book their place in the semi-finals.
Pre-match thoughts
Defender George knows what it’s like to collect silverware with the Baggies.
Albion’s longest-serving player lifted the FAWNL Plate in 2018/19 under former boss Louis Sowe, before winning the Birmingham County FA Challenge Cup last year.
Fresh from a derby day goal, and victory against their rivals Wolves, the 31-year-old and her side are “hungry” for further glory, with them now in two semi-finals (BCFA Challenge Cup, which they hope to retain and FAWNL Cup).
George says the team must have that winning “mentality” moving forwards.
She said: “We’re all buzzing with the win against Wolves. We’ve had a slow start to the second half of the season with cancellations, but we’ve showed what we’re made of recently.
“We really grafted against Wolves. I’m super proud of the girls and the way that they played.
“It’s going to give a positive outlook for the second half of the season. I’ve waited a long time to score against Wolves and it’s definitely a special one for me.
“In terms of set-pieces, I’m always willing to gamble on anything if the ball’s right. I want to get up there and head the ball, it just fell for me perfectly against Wolves.
“When we played Bournemouth in pre-season they were a very organised team. They’re so hard to break down.
“We’ll have the same mentality as we did against Wolves moving forward when we take on Bournemouth in the semi-finals. We need the same mentality as the Wolves game, where we’re hard to break down because they’re a team that play in a similar way to how Wolves did on Sunday – so we’ll have to take that into the next week.
“We won the county cup last year, and we’re hungry for more silverware. We’re in a great position of being in two semi-finals at the moment, it’s a chance to go and do something special.”
Ticket information
Tickets are on sale for £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.
