After four successive away fixtures, Exeter City Women return to the Exwick Hub this weekend as they face London Bees in the First Round of the FA Women’s National League Cup Competition.
Playing in the National League Premier South, a division above City, Marie Hourihan’s Bees made a strong start to the season, winning three of their opening five league games. Victories over Billericay Town, Plymouth Argyle and Portsmouth was followed by a League Cup victory at Portishead Town. Unfortunately, points have been harder to come by in recent weeks, with successive defeats at The Hive to Cheltenham Town, Gillingham and Watford.
Hourihan’s team have slightly struggled for goals this season, with the top scorer honor being shared by Lisa Milliken, Kayla Potter, Ryah Vyse and Courtnay Ward-Chambers, all on two goals for the campaign. Janaye Beaufort and Megan Lynch lead the way on Player of the Match awards and so will be ones to watch at the weekend.
Sunday’s game is sure to be a fascinating clash, between two teams whose paths rarely cross. As an established Premier South side, something that the Grecians are aspiring to be over the coming years, it will prove an interesting indication on how close this City squad are to reaching that level.
City joint Manager Abbie Britton is certainly looking forward to the clash. “It’s an exciting game for us, playing against higher league opposition. We always want to test ourselves against teams from that league as that is where we are aiming to be. We’ll be going into the game full of confidence, knowing that if we play our way then the result will take care of itself. This is the best squad we’ve had during my time at City and it’s games like this that will test that belief and, hopefully, showcase this squad's ability.”
Match Details
- Exeter City Women vs London Bees
- 2pm kick-off
- Exwick Sports Hub Exeter
- £5 Adults, £3 Concessions
How to Follow
You can keep up to date with the action by following Exeter City Women on Twitter: @ExeterCityWFC