Natasha Thomas and Sophie Peskett are two of only three Ipswich Town survivors from their last Women's FA Cup meeting with Manchester City in March 2020, ahead of their fourth round tie on Sunday, the pair spoke to the media about facing the Women's Super League giants once more.

Town lost that game 10-0 - Eloise King is the third current player to have been involved as a second-half sub - and no one will be expecting them to progress against a side who are the only team to defeat European champions FC Barcelona this season.

For the club's record goalscorer and appearance-maker Thomas, maintaining their position at the top of the FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division is the club's priority.

“It's just a stepping stone for us,” she said. “We need to keep on pushing. Yes, it's the FA Cup but at the same time the big thing for us is the league. In every game, we'll put our best performances in.”

Less than a month after that game, the Coronavirus pandemic gripped the world and Ipswich Town, then a tier-four side, had their entire league season's resulted rendered void with no immediate prospect of playing again. 

Thomas recalls how the memory of that game stuck with her through that uncertain period. “It was a time where we weren't allowed to play football to a certain extent. It was something that I look back on and think I was quite lucky to play in that as well with the circumstances of what was going on in the world.”

Peskett was only 16 at the time. Since then she has become one of the club’s most valued players. She reflected on her own personal journey in those five years, which included 14 months out during the 2021/22 campaign with a rupture to her anterior cruciate ligament.

“I think for me, as an individual, I'm just really excited to see how far I've come from the last time we played them. I've gone through a lot since then, I've grown as a player and a person.

“For me to be able to see that growth, that's the main thing for me that I am really excited for and I just want to soak everything up.”

In a previous interview with TWTD, Peskett revealed she looked up to Manchester City's Chloe Kelly, the scorer of the winning goal for England at UEFA Women's Euro 2022.

Asked whether she would be looking to swap shirts with her rival winger, she said: ”You never know, maybe. I’ll see if she lets me! I don’t know if they’re allowed to give their shirts away. It might be a question that I have to ask.

“She's obviously very skilful and fast, so aspects of that in her game I definitely look up to. She's also been through the same injury that I have, so I think anyone that goes through that I definitely look up to in a sense. For her to go from that to score in a Euros final is definitely something really magical.”

Now, still just 21, Peskett will take it upon herself to prepare her newer teammates for the unique challenge they will face on Sunday.

“I'll take a bit of responsibility by giving players information about how it went last time,” she said. “The last time we played them, it was very different [to what we were used to] and we were the first to experience it. I’m really excited to take on that responsibility and be a leader in the team which is something that I’m definitely working on.”

Town remain unbeaten in the league this season but Peskett knows the opposition they’re facing on Sunday is two levels above the teams they take on in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division.

“I know it's going to be very different to a lot of games this season,” she reflected. “We normally set up to try and play out from the back and establish possession. We know that Man City like to do the same so it's going to be difficult.

“We're going to have to defend in a lot of spells. I think, it's actually going to be really nice to experience that and take a lot of learnings from it.”

Unfortunately, the women’s team will play on the same afternoon as the men's side face Bristol Rovers in their FA Cup, diminishing some of the likely media coverage and possibly forcing fans who might have attended both games to make a choice.

However, for the first time, the Football Association are offering live coverage of a number of Women's FA Cup matches on their YouTube channel this weekend, including this one.

Peskett said: “We hope to get as many fans there as possible. Obviously, with there being live coverage, potentially a lot of people would choose to watch it on there anyway.

“It is a little bit of a shame clashing with the men but I still think with the loyal fans that we have, we'll get a really good turnout. I don't think they will be unheard.

“Last time we played them, we took quite a few down - I can't remember the exact number - but you definitely heard them and it gives you such a boost on the pitch. That will be really special.”

Photo: Asif Burhan

Ipswich Town Polls