16 Dec 2007
VIDEO: Watford 1-2aet Everton

Toni Duggan gave Everton victory with penalties looming to deny Watford from reaching their first ever final.

Watford v Everton
The FA Tesco Women's Premier League
2pm, Sunday 23 March 2008
Sun Postal FC

Watford will be looking to avenge two defeats in the last four months by Everton when they face the Toffees in an FA Tesco Women’s Premier League encounter on Sunday.

After losing 3-0 on Merseyside in the League the Hornets agonisingly went down 2-1 after extra time of their Premier League Cup semi-final against the eventual Cup winners.

"There were only 30 seconds of extra time left when Everton got their winner in the semi-final," recalls Watford’s England Under-23 goalkeeper Marie Hourihan.

"It was absolutely gutting to go out that way, but fair play to Everton they went on to beat Arsenal in the final and that was a great achievement.

"They lost to Leeds in last week’s FA Cup semi-final though, so they know how we felt after that League cup match.

"We’d obviously love to get revenge for that defeat and the one in the League at their place, but they’ll be looking to bounce back after last week so it’s going to be tough."

Despite their FA Cup reversal Everton will head for Hertfordshire on the back of an impressive League run that has brought them eight wins in their last nine matches.

Watford, by contrast, had taken just one point from their six games before ending the winless sequence with a 2-1 victory at Cardiff City last time out.

The run of poor results saw the Hornets drop down the table after being second following some excellent early season results in their first taste of top flight football.

Hourihan says: "We surprised a few teams early on and although we’ve slowed down a bit since Christmas, I feel we’ve acquitted ourselves well to the National Division.

"When we went into the season the aim was just to stay up, but we re-assessed that after making such a good start and now the target is to finish in the top half of the table."

A top six finish would be a fine achievement for the Hornets and would certainly make for a satisfying season for Hourihan on both club and international fronts.

She has become well established in the England Under-23 set-up and recently played against America just two days after her 21st.

"That was a great way to celebrate my 21st," says Hourihan, who is training to be an accountant as well as to hopefully become a senior international.

"It’s sometimes difficult to combine work, studying at college, training and playing," adds the young keeper, "but I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way."