Ipswich Town Women are in Adobe Women’s FA Cup third-round action against Barclays Women’s Championship Lewes in a rearranged tie at the AGL Arena this afternoon (KO 1pm).
The Tractor Girls thrashed Sutton Coldfield 8-0 at the AGL Arena last month to set up the tie against the Sussex side, who are currently second bottom of the women’s second tier, a division above the Blues.
The game was originally set to be played last weekend but was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. The winners will play Championship leaders Charlton Athletic in round four on Sunday 14th January.
Town’s promotion hopes suffered a blow a fortnight ago when they drew 2-2 away against Billericay, only claiming the point via a Natasha Thomas leveller deep into injury time.
Quizzed on how well the squad have reacted to that game ahead of the initial scheduling of the Lewes fixture, midfielder Bonnie Horwood said: "Reasonably well. We’ve dug ourselves a bit of a hole but we’ve shown over the last two seasons that when we’re under pressure and up against it, we seem to rise and perform.
"Nothing better than an FA Cup game this weekend, a team from the league above, so it will be a good challenge for us. I think we’ve responded well.”
The Blues and Rooks met in the competition last year at the fourth round stage in Felixstowe when the visitors ran out 1-0 victors.
"We know it’s a team that we can perform against like any other team,” Horwood added. "We’ll prepare again as we always do and we’ll be up for it.”
There’s been a fair amount of change at Lewes over the summer but the 36-year-old isn’t anticipating a different approach from previous matches between the sides.
"I still think they’ll be quite an aggressive team,” she reflected. "They’re used to playing faster oppositions and teams every week, so we’ve got to adapt to that, which I know we will do.
"As long as we stay switched on throughout the game, then when we get our chances just take them, be clinical.”
In the summer, Sarah Brasero-Carreira and Anna Gray both joined the Rooks from Town, while current Blues keeper Laura Hartley is a former Lewes player.
Might there be more pressure with the former Tractor Girls duo returning to their old stomping ground?
"Not necessarily,” Horwood considered. "It’s the same for them, more pressure probably, coming back to their old club. We won’t really think about that, we’ll just focus on our own game.”