Albion Women will be vying for a last-16 place in the FAWNL Cup when they travel to Norton & Stockton Ancients on Sunday afternoon (ko 2pm).
Charlie Fripp’s side enjoyed a 100 per cent winning record in Group N, topping their pool above the likes of Sporting Khalsa and Birmingham City PGA.
And they come into the match full of confidence after a convincing triumph over Boldmere St Michaels in midweek, where they won 4-1.
Last time out
The Baggies overcame a competitive clash with Sporting Khalsa to secure their safe passage into the FAWNL Cup knockout stages.
Jess Collyer and Monique Robinson were both on target either side of the halfway mark to seal a 2-0 win at the Alexander Stadium.
The opposition
Norton & Stockton Ancients have begun the 2026/27 term steadily in the FAWNL Division One North, sitting fifth after eight matches played.
Chris Burton’s side beat Thornaby 3-2 on their travels on Thursday night, and have only lost once in their last five matches - their only defeat during the timeframe coming at the hands of table-topping Leeds United, who are yet to be defeated in the league.
Their goalscoring efforts across all competitions have been heavily weighted in favour of attacking duo Bianca Owens (8) and Sacha Millward (7) - who lead the way at the top of the Ancients’ striking ranks.
The fourth-tier outfit secured their passage into the knockout stages by finishing as one of the best second-placed teams across the group phase, ranking just behind Hull City Ladies in Group U.
𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 A hard-fought three points for Norton under the lights! Better in the second half, but still room to improve. Dug in well as the game progressed, showing great togetherness and resilience. #ANAW | #NTID | #WeAreNational https://t.co/LX5w7NXjlA
— Norton Ladies FC (@NortonLadies) October 29, 2026
Pre-match thoughts
After being knocked out of The Women’s FA Cup at the first-round phase last weekend, Women’s Interim Head Coach Charlie Fripp knows the Baggies will need to be wary of another cup upset when they head to Norton & Stockton Ancients on Sunday.
His Albion side were undone by a single Notts County penalty in the opening round of said competition, but they are more than aware the fourth-tier Ancients are aiming to produce another surprise.
But Fripp’s outfit did respond well to their exit in midweek at the first hurdle by beating Boldmere St Michaels 4-1 at the Alexander Stadium, with Monique Robinson and Riya Mannu (3) dominating the scoreline once again.
Despite claiming all three FAWNL Northern Premier points, Wednesday’s match was overshadowed by a serious-looking injury to Rhianne Oakley - with the Interim Head Coach insisting the “girls will be there for her.”
He said: “A lot of the girls were understandably very concerned after the game, but they were also in the mindset that it’s all for Rhi, and I can’t fault their strength and togetherness as a group.
“They produced on the pitch before the incident and after it too. It’s what you want as a team and as a football club, and it shows the team ethos we have.
“We’re in a period now where we need to calm down and worry about the games that are ahead, while supporting Rhi on her road to recovery, and I know the girls will be there for her. They want to kick on and play to the best of their abilities for themselves and for the rest of the team.
“In terms of the performance against Boldmere, I thought we dominated in and out of possession; we went for a different style of press, and the work from the front line was excellent. It was a great showing and we saw the qualities we have on the ball.
“We spoke about it after the game on Sunday, and we felt we needed to bounce back as a team, and what we have growing here is a real collective. We knew that we had to be better looking ahead to this match, and it was a group effort to turn it around as quickly as possible.
“I can’t fault the performance the girls had on the pitch. They gave everything they had on Wednesday night.
“I feel we’re talking a lot about our dynamic duo in Riya Mannu and Monique Robinson. It’s one of them, but it’s great that the accolades go to them and they’re performing well.
"Still, the credit also must go to the girls surrounding them to allow them to do that and showcase their talents; it’s a real team effort.
“I think teams will look at the Notts County game and think they can impose similar tactics to what they did, and credit to them, they came with that game plan; they executed it well. You learn from matches like that, and we saw that on Wednesday - we’ll be ready for Sunday.”
How to follow
Tickets for Albion’s trip to Norton Sports Complex will be available at the gate for supporters who wish to make the trip.
They are priced at £6 for adults and £3 for concessions.
For those unable to attend, coverage will be provided across Albion Women’s social media channels, as always.
The match report, reaction and match highlights will be available on the club website in the coming days.
