Five Cumbrian Teams Set For Women’s FA Cup Action
Five Cumbrian women's football teams will compete for a place in the First Round Qualifying of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, with clubs from across the county preparing for a busy round of fixtures.
Workington Town Women face an away trip to the North East to take on Gateshead Leam Rangers Ladies, who compete in the North East Regional Northern Division at tier six. Workington will be hoping to make an impact after missing the opportunity to enter the competition last season, while victory would secure home advantage in the next round.
The potential route for Workington could lead to an all Cumbrian tie, with the winner of the match between Kendal based GT7 Ladies and Prudhoe Town Women providing their possible next opponent. Both clubs compete at tier seven, with GT7 playing in the Lancashire County Premier Division and Prudhoe competing in the Northumberland Football League Women’s Premier Division.
Penrith AFC Ladies will welcome FC Hartlepool Ladies to Frenchfield Stadium in another important Preliminary Round fixture. Penrith have enjoyed considerable success in the competition in recent seasons and reached the First Round Proper last campaign, where they narrowly lost 3 2 at home to Altrincham after benefiting financially from their progress.
Carlisle United Ladies will also have home advantage when they face Harrogate Railway Ladies at Creighton RUFC. The two teams are both competing at tier seven level, with Harrogate Railway representing the West Riding County Women’s League. Carlisle reached the Second Round Qualifying stage last season before being eliminated by fellow Cumbrian side Penrith in a 5 0 defeat.
Whitehaven AFC Ladies complete the Cumbrian line up and will host Wolviston Ladies at the County Ground. The visitors compete in the Durham County Women’s League, making this another tier seven contest, while Whitehaven will be looking to improve on last season's run after narrowly losing to Redcar Town in the First Round Qualifying.
The teams will also have a clear incentive beyond the immediate fixtures, with progression offering further home advantage for several of the Cumbrian sides. Workington would host the winner of the GT7 and Prudhoe tie, while Penrith would travel to Sunderland West End Ladies if they progress.
Carlisle United would earn another home fixture against either Darlington or Hartlepool United should they advance. Whitehaven would also remain at home in the next round, where they would face Wigginton Grasshoppers, giving the county's representatives plenty of potential routes deeper into the competition.
The Preliminary Round represents an important opportunity for all five Cumbrian clubs to establish themselves in this season's Women's FA Cup. With four sides playing on home soil and Workington facing a higher ranked opponent away from home, the fixtures offer a varied set of challenges as the teams look to continue their respective cup campaigns.
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