Albion Women welcome Rugby Borough to the Alexander Stadium in their latest FAWNL Northern Premier outing on Sunday afternoon (ko 2pm).
The Baggies have their sights set on maintaining the momentum gained over the last three matches, where they picked up victories over Peterborough United, Lye Town and Liverpool Feds across league and cup competitions.
And Charlie Fripp’s side know they’re in for a tough test, with visitors Rugby Borough currently top of the league and vying to continue positive form of their own.
Last time out
Albion left it late to beat Liverpool Feds 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.
Abbey Jones’ winner in the 95th-minute secured all three points for the visitors at Walton Hall Park, after Zoe Creaney and Rhianne Oakley put them ahead before suffering two equalisers from the hosts.
The opposition
Rugby Borough have won all four of their league matches so far this season.
Borough have beaten the likes of Peterborough United, Derby County, Norwich City and Middlesbrough to cement their 100 per cent record across 2026/27 thus far.
And their form has built up across the last few seasons since Lee Burch’s arrival as Head Coach. The former Millwall, Yeovil and London Bees boss has managed over 100 games for the Kilsby Lane-based side - leading them to three top-five finishes in a row across the third tier - and, most recently, the Birmingham County FA Challenge Cup title in 2025/26.
They’ve also managed to add to their successful side from the last few seasons - with Lucy Shepherd, Sophie Baigent and Ria Acton all bolstering Burch’s ranks over the last month.
And after some strong early-season form, Sunday’s visitors will make for a stern challenge at the Alex this weekend.
Previous meetings
Albion Women 2-1 Rugby Borough - February 2026
The Baggies were worthy winners in the most recent meeting between the two sides. Efforts from Creaney and Riya Mannu meant Siobhan Hodgetts-Still’s side came from a goal down to collect all three points at the Alexander Stadium.
Rugby Borough 3-1 Albion Women - October 2025
But they were on the wrong side of the scoreline in October of the previous year. Albion were beaten at Kilsby Lane, with Ellie May scoring the only goal for the visitors.
Albion Women 6-2 Rugby Borough - April 2025
Arguably their most impressive recent result against Borough was their 6-2 victory in the BCFA Challenge Cup final. They beat their Warwickshire-based opponents at the Bescot Stadium to clinch the silverware thanks to goals from Ali Miller, Phoebe Warner, Rhianne Oakley (2), Marli Rhodes and Simran Jhamat.
Pre-match thoughts
Rhianne Oakley has enjoyed contributing to Albion’s recent positive form.
The forward has notched two in her last two matches for the club against Lye Town and Liverpool Feds, aiding the Baggies’ upturn in form across the last few weeks after a tough start to the 2026/27 season.
After missing the latter part of the last campaign with an injury, Oakley hopes to make the difference in the weeks to come, with Albion bidding to bolster their league position.
And with Rugby Borough on the horizon, the 25-year-old is aiming to carry on her goalscoring endeavours as they return to the Alexander Stadium on Sunday.
She said: “Last weekend was a massive three points for us. We knew what we needed to do. It’s always a tough game against Feds, and we’ve come away with late winners the last three times we’ve played them.
“We knew to keep digging in, and we knew there would be a chance to come up last minute if we kept going. Thankfully we did and Abbey Jones was there to put the chance away for us.
“Everyone always puts in 100 per cent, whether that’s the players that start or the players that come off the bench - we’ve got that fight and belief to keep going. We’re carrying that belief after a great week of training. We knew we had to dig deep for the win and we got it.
“As a striker, one of my goals this season was to get on the scoresheet weekly and help the team out by scoring more. To get two in two matches is great and I want to try to carry that on over the next few games.
“I’m always trying to get into those areas in the box, keep making those runs. Ben Davis (First Team Performance Analyst & Interim Assistant Head Coach) says it’s about making the run, rather than deciding on the cross. It’s about making sure I’m in those areas and getting strikes away as quickly as possible.
“We’ve seen a lot of goals recently, so it’s clear to see it’s clicking, and we have to keep maintaining that. We need to be on the ball, and we’ll get there. There are so many goalscorers in the team to help us move forward.
“It’s been a positive start for me, but I want to assist or score every week now to help the team. We know how much quality we have in the squad, so it’s about helping and trusting each other to get those performances in weekly. I’m happy with myself to get two in two over the last few weeks.
“We know how tough it’s going to be against Rugby Borough. They’re a great side and we know we’re in for a difficult test. We just need to take the momentum and belief from the last two or three games we’ve had into the next one.
“Being at the Alexander Stadium is new to some people, but it’s our ground and we don’t want to let anyone come here and dictate the games to us. We want to start strongly with this home run and we’re looking forward to it.”
For the fans
The Alexander Stadium (What3Words: spent.backs.shades) is an inclusive venue that is easy to get to from around the West Midlands. For directions to the Alexander Stadium, visit this link, or you can find the stadium's accessibility information here. On-site parking is available in the South Car Park and entry for the game is through the middle entrance in the West Stand to the left of reception.
There's a lot going on before the game, including an Albion player meet-and-greet on the concourse ahead of the game. Keep an eye on the club’s social channels for more details on who’ll be joining us.
Junior supporters can enjoy an inflatable activity on the concourse throughout the afternoon, while Baggie Bird will be out and about around the stadium. Be sure to keep an eye out, say hello and grab a photo!
Once inside the ground, refreshments will be served from the middle kiosk, including pies, chips and hot drinks, alongside a selection of crisps, chocolate and sweets.
How to follow
Tickets are on sale for £6 Adults, £5 Seniors (65+), £5 20-25s, £4 17-19s, £3 Under-17s and £2 Under-14s. Disabled tickets are priced at £5.
They can be purchased online now or on the gate at the Alexander Stadium on the day of the game.
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.
