Ipswich Town Women face local rivals Norwich City at the Nest in the third qualifying round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup on Sunday afternoon (KO 1pm).

The teams met at the Goldstar Ground, Felixstowe at the same stage of the competition last year with the Tractor Girls running out 6-1 victors.

That was one of three derbies last season with the Blues winning the league games 4-1 at home and 10-0 away.

The Tractor Girls also won 10-0 in the last round of this season's competition a fortnight ago against Peterborough Northern Star, their most recent fixture, having vanquished Cambridge United by the same scoreline in the league in their previous game. Striker Natasha Thomas scored four in the cup tie and a hat-trick against the U's.

Town are currently top of the FAWNL South East Division One with a 100 per cent record and are still to concede, while the Canaries are fourth from bottom.

Last season the Tractor Girls reached the fifth round of the FA Cup before being beaten away by Manchester City - who play Everton in the delayed final on Sunday - the first time a fourth tier club had done so and the first time the club had progressed so far in their history.

The game is all-ticket with the Blues having received a very limited allocation which was distributed via a ballot.

Midfielder Georgia Allen, who will be playing in her first East Anglian derby, says the squad can’t wait for the game to get under way.

“I’m so looking forward to it, I know it’s an age old rival, the girls are very excited to get going,” she said.

“I know there are a lot of expectations on ourselves to put on a really good performance and I’m personally excited to be part of that.”

She added: “We haven’t had to have coaches gee us up, it’s all internally motivated, especially with small number of tickets available to us.

“We won’t have many people on our side up there, so if we wanted any more motivation, that was it, so I can’t wait for this Sunday.”

Manager Joe Sheehan says he’s treating the tie like any other fixture.

“The same as any other game, any other week,” he insisted. “Regardless of who we play, regardless of the competition we have the same approach, we operate the same and it will be no different.

“We worry about ourselves, we’ve a way in which we prepare and we stick to that every week and this Sunday will be no different.”

Photo: Dave Francis

GatesPerm added 12:58 - Oct 31 Oh dear, the ladies have to go to The Nest. Perhaps we should rename Playford Road The Horse Box and allow the ladies to play there. 10 goals for the third game running would be excellent.
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