THE LADIES FA CUP

I have been watching Hepworth United FC make history (for the club) this afternoon as our Ladies Section played a Women's FA Cup Tie, the first time the club has been involved in any FA Cup games.
Our senior men are not quite far enough up the pyramid to be involved in FA Vase football, let alone Trophy or Cup. But with the progress the club has made in a few years, perhaps the FA Cup is not too far a dream. All credit to the ladies and their coaches.

The Ladies had been drawn into the First Qualifying Round where they drew Blackburn Community Sports' Club LFC, a squad that has obviously been around the "block" and they gave a professional performance in the first half taking 6 goals from our lasses. The Blackburn team was worth it, although some disastrous edge of penalty area mishaps did give away a couple of easy goals.

In the second half our girls did much better and scored a single reply. We didn't think that the tie was ever going to be turned round but they gave a good account of the themselves down the slope!

Previously, the first FA Cup Women's "Extra Preliminary Round" was played on August 18th, where amongst 10 ties, today's opponents from Blackburn put 6 past West Kirkby LFC.

In this same round I noticed a match between Torquay Utd LFC v RNAS Culdrose LFC,
Godalming Town LFC (my Surrey local club) losing 1-2 to Eastbourne Town LFC,
QPR Girls Development beat Wargrave LFC 11-0 and
Sutton United LFC lost 0-1 to Islington Borough LFC.

The next Preliminary round was nation wide. 98 ties were played around the weekend of September 1st.
The First Qualifying Round has 45 ties. The next round is on October 6th and the Final on May 9th 2020.
So no further progress for our girls in this prestigious tournament, but wonderful to be considered as part of this national event.

The Women's FA Cup was competed for in 1970-1 and it was Southampton Ladies who won the cup 8 times through to 1981. In the first final they beat Stewarton Thistle, a club later known as Kilmarnock Ladies, invited across the border to play in the cup. (It was also known that Scottish clubs enjoyed playing in the Men's FA Cup in the early years.
Kilmarnock Ladies FC is the oldest club in Scotland and there were three Scottish opponents included in the English competition between 1971-3.
Other FA Cup Final winners included Lowestoft and Fodens!

From 1983, the Doncaster Belles dominated the competition and between 1983-94, The Belles appeared in every final bar one. Since 1995, Arsenal (14) and Millwall along with other professional league clubs appear to have taken a grip on the competition....no amateurs and no Scots!