Top-of-the-table Ipswich Town Women play their biggest game of the season so far and perhaps the biggest league match in their history on Sunday when they take on second-placed Southampton at Snows Stadium, Totton (KO 2pm).
The Blues currently lead the Saints by six points at the top of FAWNL Southern Premier Division but having played two more games. Southampton closed the gap from nine on Wednesday when they beat Crawley Wasps 3-0 at home.
The teams met at the Goldstar Ground earlier this month in the FAWNL Cup with the Hampshire side running out 1-0 winners in a closely-contested game and the Blues will be looking to avenge that defeat, their only loss so far this season, on Sunday.
"Excited, looking forward to it, it’s a game we’ve had our eye on for a while,” manager Joe Sheehan said. "It’s a great opportunity for us to go there and compete and just pure excitement.
"We’ve been through a period over a couple of years where we’ve been desperately trying to get out of tier four and we’ve been craving games like this.
"And that’s why I think we’re so excited for it because we’ve got a lot of players that love competition, we love trying to perform on the biggest stage and in this division this is the biggest stage. It’s why we’re involved and we’re really looking forward to it.”
The biggest league match in the Tractor Girls’ history? "Possibly, it’s going to be a really challenging game. I think it’s one of those games that could go either way and I think that’s what makes it so exciting.
"Hopefully there’ll be a good crowd and a good atmosphere and we’re looking forward to performing in front of it.
"It’ll be two good teams trying to impose themselves on the game and hopefully we’ll have the edge this time and come out on top.”
Defender Olivia Smith said: "I think this is what we play for, this is such a big game for all of us, as players, as staff, as a club really,” she said.
"We’ve been training for this for the whole year and I just think it’s such a big game, and it means a lot to us really.
"We’re expecting a battle. We know what to expect from Southampton, we’ve done our research but it’s not really about them, it’s about our game and we’re prepared and we’re going to go into it and give it our all.”
Meanwhile, Blues trio Sarah Brasero-Carreira, Issy Bryant and Lucy O’Brien have been named in the England Development Phase squad for the Algarve Cup in Portugal which runs from November 21st-30th.