Two members of the judging panel Wilf Frith of Shekicks.net and Neil Brown of Women's Soccer Scene nominated the Unison East Midlands Premier League side after they beat Northampton Town in the First Round on 29 October, winning 4-3 on penalties, after the sides finished 1-1 after extra time.

Manager Steve Iredale (below), who by day runs a nightclub in the town, admitted to TheFA.com that such an award would be a huge boost to his side.

"After two years as Club Secretary I took on the managerial reins this season. Steve Bates, our usual Manager has been working as a Electrical Supervisor on the new Wembley Stadium and been working weekends, which meant he couldn't be involved as much as he wanted. At the start of the season we nearly folded but I kept the team going as my daughter plays, and this recognition will really boost the girls."

Iredale is a Manchester United fan who bought a replica blue away strip [worn during United's 1999 treble winning season] for the Azure this summer, after spotting it for sale on the internet.

Talking about his side and the giant killing win, Steve said: "We're not a bad side but our achilles heel has been not scoring enough goals. We lost a couple of important players to Aston Villa at the beginning of this season but Kirsty Matthews is coming back from injury, so we try and make the best of what we have, and that worked perfectly in the Cup game.

"We had lost to Northampton in the County Cup last season and they beat us 4-2, overrunning us in midfield. This time I packed the midfield and played one up front which worked until the start of the second half, when we went a goal down.

"I then took a player off, put on a right winger and it transformed the game. Our goal was a phenomenal header, and when the ball hit the back of the net, our striker still seemed like she was a couple of feet off the ground! We then kept our nerve in the shoot-out, and at the end of the game, some of the girls didn't want to take the shirts off."

Next up for Steve and his side are Derby County but before then, the side will receive a commemorative silver salver and £500 of football equipment from E.ON; £250 for themselves and £250 to donate to a local school.

"The kit will be massively appreciated by everyone at the club as we lead a real hand-to-mouth existence" added Steve. "It's great that an initiative like this is recognising the efforts of teams throughout the competition, and who knows, if we pull of another upset, we might be in the reckoning again."