Alex Scott has warned Arsenal to beware of Birmingham City’s star players as the two sides battle it out for a place in The FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup Final on Sunday.
Arsenal’s record in the competition makes for intimidating reading since its inception back in 2011. The Gunners won it for three straight seasons before Manchester City beat them 1-0 in last year’s Final at Adams Park.
Scott and Co. did avenge that defeat by beating City in the quarter finals last Thursday to set up this weekend’s semi-final clash at Boreham Wood FC.
Arsenal v Birmingham City
FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup
Semi-final
3pm, Sunday 11 October
Boreham Wood FC
But the Arsenal defender insists they must be wary of her England international team-mates Jo Potter and Karen Carney if they are to avoid missing out again.
“They have quality players. Jo Potter went to the World Cup and Karen Carney is a star,” said Scott. “It takes a lot to win any cup and a semi-final against Birmingham is no exception. It's been a long season and we just have to finish right.
“This season it's been a real team effort, we have had a lot of injuries before and after the World Cup and we've had players step up. We've had new signings like Dominique Janssen and Vicky Losada who have added the quality, and the depth of this squad is brilliant.
“There have definitely been areas of improvement this year, the manager [Pedro Martinez Losa] has come in and implemented his philosophy and overall it's been a season where we're developed and moved forward.”
Birmingham have flattered to deceive for much of the season and ended the FA WSL 1 campaign in a disappointing sixth place – a far cry from their tilt at the title 12 months ago.
Birmingham and England star Karen Carney
Yet the Blues also have a decent record in the Continental Tyres Cup. Indeed, they made it to The Final in 2011 and 2012 before coming unstuck against the Gunners.
However, former Arsenal midfielder Carney – who spent three years with the London club between 2006 and 2009 – accepts they go into the game as underdogs.
“We’ll make sure we prepare the right way, the league season is over but we’ve still got plenty to play for and we know anything can happen in cup football,” she said.
“We won’t shy away from the fact we are underdogs, Arsenal are flying high but we’ll certainly be giving it 100 per cent. The positions in the league don’t lie, but it doesn’t count for much on Sunday.
“It was a long time ago that I played for Arsenal now, so it’s perhaps lost that little bit of edge from a personal point of view, but it’s still a massive game and a massive opportunity for the club to make it through to The Final.”
The Final will be staged at Rotherham United's New York Stadium on Sunday 1 November.
Tickets for The Final can be purchased at www.rotherhamunitedshop.co.uk or by calling 08444 10754.
