Ipswich Town Women are in Adobe Women’s FA Cup second-round action against Hashtag United at Aveley’s Parkside Stadium this afternoon (KO 3pm).
The Blues thrashed MK Dons 12-0 in their first round tie at the Martello Ground, Felixstowe to set-up the tie agains the Tags, who Town overtook to claim top spot in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division last Sunday.
The teams have already met twice this season in Suffolk, the Blues winning a league game 2-0 in August, before the Essex side inflicted Town’s only loss of the campaign so far, a 1-0 FAWNL Cup defeat last month.
"A different feel for it being an FA Cup game, a knockout competition, we know the tie’s got to be settled,” manager Joe Sheehan said.
"We’re playing a team we’re so familiar with having faced them in both the league and League Cup this season.
"It promises to be a really exciting encounter. We always really enjoy playing this opposition. They’ve got some different qualities that other teams don’t have in this league and we embrace the challenge of facing them. It’s a game we’re looking forward to and hopefully we can perform really well.”
The Blues have made FA Cup history in recent seasons, reaching the quarter-finals twice before exiting at Manchester City in 2019/20 and then at home to West Ham in their first-ever live TV match in 2021/22.
"It’s a competition that we’re so fond of, having had so many great experiences, so many fond memories through some really big games at different stages of the competition,” Sheeran continued.
"So it’s now an opportunity to start a fresh run but it’s a really tough opponent. It’s not an easy tie for us but it’s one we’re really looking forward to.”