Tractor Girls Host Cheltenham
Sunday, 30th Apr 2023 09:07

Ipswich Town Women host Cheltenham at the AGL Arena in Felixstowe this afternoon aiming for three points to keep them in the hunt for the FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division title (KO 2pm).

The Blues are now outsiders for first place with Watford now first ahead of Oxford, who host Gillingham today, and the Tractor Girls third.

Town and Oxford meet on the final day in Suffolk, while the Hornets, who aren’t in action this weekend, travel to sixth-placed Billericay.

Town need to beat the Robins to stand any chance of topping the table and featuring in the promotion play-off against the winners of the Northern Premier Division.

“It’s a massive game,” said goalkeeper Sarah Quantrill. “Obviously we need to keep winning games if we’re going to put pressure on Watford and Oxford. It’s a massive step that we need to get the three points.”

Quantrill has now been confirmed as the winner of the division’s Golden Glove award for the second season.

“It’ll be quite special,” she said prior to confirmation that her 12 clean sheets would be enough to claim the gong for the second season running.

“I said at the start of the season I wanted to win it again, but it’s a credit to the rest of the girls as well, the way they’ve defended as well, not just me.

“It’s been pretty special. Coming into it, I didn’t think I’d be in the situation I’ve been in, it’s a massive positive.”

Quantrill says eighth-placed Cheltenham, who the Blues beat 2-0 in less than ideal conditions a week before Christmas, will want to upset Town’s title hopes.

“It was a horrible Sunday in horrible conditions,” she recalled. “They’ve got nothing to lose, they’re going to come here and want to spoil our party.

“There’s no weak team in this league, anyone can beat anyone on their day, so we need to be at it to make sure we get the three points.”

Last night, during the ceremony on the Portman Road pitch after the men’s team secured promotion back to the Championship, Megan Wearing was named the Women’s Player of the Year and Anna Grey the runner-up

Meanwhile, the FA board has announced that from 2023/24 both FA Women's National League Premier Division title winners will be promoted to the Barclays Women's Championship rather than just the winner of a play-off between the two, as is currently the case.

Photo: ITFC

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