Match Preview

Lincoln United WFC will travel to the West Midlands for the second time in three weeks to face West Bromwich Albion in the second round of the Women’s Vitality FA Cup.

The hosts play in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division, two tiers above ‘The Whites’. They currently sit eighth in the league through 11 games, with three wins, four draws and four losses.

The status of Albion means that Lincoln United will be in unusual territory for the side - as the underdogs. Manager, Chris Funnell said: “It’s about setting expectations within the team. No one is expecting us to go in there and roll West Brom over 4-0 like Shifnal, like other teams.

“It’s about keeping expectations realistic and understanding what we expect from the game Sunday. Also don’t go there and have the mentality that we’re playing tier 3 West Brom and we’re going to get battered.”

The second round of the competition will be the furthest ‘The Whites’ have gone and they will be hoping to pull off an upset in a competition that has already seen its fair share of upsets already.

Whilst it will be a hard task, the third round is in the view of the squad. Speaking on what it would mean to the players and those in and around the club Funnell said: “It would be fantastic if we did that. I said at the very start, our expectations need to be realistic. We’re focused on giving the best performance we possibly can do in the second round.

“If that’s enough to get us through to the third round, I’ll be delighted. If we go out and we’ve given a good performance, then so be it.”
Still missing from the line-up is attacker Tracey Duxbury-Mead, whose pace would’ve been key in this fixture. A decision is yet to be made on the fitness and availability of fullback Frankie Wilson who, if missing, will be a big loss for the side.

The game will be played at Coles Lane, a stadium where ‘The Whites’ saw their FA Cup dreams end last season at the hands of Sutton Coldfield Town Ladies. The game kicks off at 1pm.

Match Preview by Luther Odame