Derby County v Chelsea
The FA Women’s Cup sponsored by E.ON
Fifth Round Proper
2pm, Sunday 25 January 2009
Winning clubs will receive £750 from The FA
Derby County’s Pride Park stadium is set to host this year’s FA Women’s Cup Final – but the County team themselves are treating Sunday’s Fifth Round meeting with Chelsea as their very own Final.
The Midland Combination outfit have never before reached this stage of the competition and know they face one of the toughest tasks of a Fifth Round that will see 16 teams vying for places in the Quarter Finals.
Manager Steve Hall says: “We are not kidding ourselves – Chelsea are miles better than us, their players are practically all internationals and they’re one of only two teams who can put pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
“But that doesn’t mean we’ll be going into the game with a negative attitude. We’re having a good season in the Combination, we’ve got a good chance of promotion to the Premier League and our FA Cup run has boosted confidence throughout the squad.
“This is my eighth year with the club and, after coming through the leagues, I’d say the side we’ve got at the moment is our best yet. Now we’ve got arguably the biggest game in the club’s 18-year history and yes – this is our Cup Final.”
Derby currently lie second in the Midland Combination table, two points behind leaders Coventry City but with a game in hand as the battle intensifies for promotion to the Premier League’s Northern Division.
County have this season been formally taken under the wing of their Football League Championship parent club and are operating with a package of support being provided through the club’s community partnership scheme.
“The backing we’re getting has given us real impetus," added Hall. "We’ve got a more solid base, a more professional outlook and a growing profile that can only be helped by Pride Park being chosen as the venue for The FA Women's Cup Final.”
If Derby can produce the shock of the season by beating Chelsea, then everyone at Pride Park will be absolutely delighted. But whichever two teams eventually reach the Final, they are being promised a massive crowd.
The aim is to break the current attendance record of 24,582 – set last year at Nottingham Forest – and Derby’s chief executive Tom Glick says: “I’m confident we will get over 30,000, and if we’re on our game we’ll expect to fill the (33,500 capacity) stadium.”