Ipswich Town Women are in FA Cup first-round action on Sunday when they take on AFC Basildon at the Goldstar Ground, Felixstowe (KO 1pm).
Manager Joe Sheehan says he’s looking for his side to continue their cup run, having already beaten Royston 7-0 and local rivals Norwich City 6-1 in the qualifying rounds.
"It’s really important,” he said. "Obviously it gives us opportunities to play against clubs we may not face but also clubs in our league, and the financial incentive is also something which will be important for us.
"A lot of clubs will have come through two games, we’re a couple of games in in this competition and clubs will be looking to progress to the latter stages.”
Sunday’s opponents AFC Basildon are currently sixth in FAWNL Division One South East, eight points behind the Blues, who head the table.
"I don’t know too much about them,” Sheehan added. "They dropped down from the league above, there’s been a bit of a change of personnel and they’ve got a relatively young side as well, so it will be a tough game.
"We haven’t played them yet so it’s not that easy to prepare. I think teams that we have played we have a bit of insight on, but Basildon’s not a team we’ll know too much about going into this game.”
Meanwhile, winger Sophie Welton has left Town to relocate to Australia where she will be reunited with twin sister, former Town defender Beth Welton. The 25-year-old made a total of 85 appearances for the Tractor Girls, scoring 28 goals.