Exeter City Women begin their League Cup campaign this evening with the visit of Portishead Town to Coach Road.
The winners of the contest will enter the League Cup and the defeated team head into the Plate competition.
One of the Possets biggest strengths in maintaining their tier four status in recent seasons has been a consistency within the squad and there are many familiar faces in Chip Wright’s Town side for the 2024/25 season. Chelsea Heal, Ruby Hopkins, Kelly Jones, Phoebe Tate, Alanna Torrington, Nathalie Zajaczkowski and captain Shannon Holloway all started the Possets opening league fixture this term and were in the side that were defeated when the two teams faced off at Bristol Road back in April. The core of last season’s team secured an opening day point against newly promoted Bournemouth Sports before taking on Keynsham Town on Sunday.
New faces have arrived over the summer, Anna Barnes, who has had spells with Swindon Town and Plymouth Argyle, brings her experience to the Town side, with Kerry and Victoria Vlachou both moving south after enhancing their development at Bristol Rovers and Keynsham Town respectively. Emily Nicholson is another new arrival, the forward playing at Weston Super Mare last season after a previous spell at Barry Town.
The Grecians were comfortable winners in the two fixtures last season, doubles from Zoe Cunningham, Jenna Markham and an opening strike from Zoe Watkins gave City a 5-0 win in October of last year. It would be a repeat scoreline in the reverse fixture, this time it would be doubles from Georgie Barbour-Gresham, Sarah Stacey and an own goal that took all three points back to Devon.
Abbie Britton’s side were semi-finalists in last year’s League Cup competition, defeat to Derby County at the Exwick Sports Hub denying an opportunity to compete in a National Final for the first time. Victory tonight would see a place in the League Cup and the chance to once again go on a history making cup run.
- Exeter City vs Portishead Town
- Coach Road, Newton Abbot
- Wednesday 28 August | 7.45pm
- Adults £3/Children £1 - buy here.