Posh Women to face The Cobblers on opening day of the season.
Peterborough United Women will begin their FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands campaign on Sunday afternoon (3:30pm) as they face Northampton Town Women at Fernie Fields Sports Ground.
The kick-off time has been pushed back to 3:30pm to allow players and supporters to support the Lionesses in their FIFA World Cup Final against Spain on Sunday morning.
The Cobblers had a fairly successful pre-season schedule, only losing their final game to fellow FA Women’s National League side Swindon Town last Sunday and with Jade Bell netting 11 goals in eight appearances.
Posh go into the opening day fixture having won three of their final four games of pre-season, including victories a 4-0 victory over Cambridge United Women and 2-0 win over Norwich City Women.
Team News
Dan Lawlor will have a full squad at his disposal heading into the fixture with The Cobblers, with only Zaiga Làcìte and Eden Bailey the absentees for Posh. However, the former could return to training in the next two weeks.
The Cobblers have made a number of signings over the summer, including the addition of goalkeeper Katie McLean who was named FA Women’s National League South East Player of the Year and defender Ruby Heselden from FAWNL Southern Premier Division side, where she has netted two goals in pre-season.
From The Gaffer
“We played seven games in pre-season, had a lot of two games a week in that period, so it has been a really positive couple of weeks. There was a few up-and-down performances, which is what you get with pre-season, but we are all very excited that the new season is just around the corner and everyone is ready to get going.
“This is a fantastic game to play at any stage in the season. The first game of the season is always difficult as you have nerves and a little bit of pressure, so we need to head into this game with a real level head and be calm, whether that is Northampton or any other team, we just need to make sure we play our football and gives ourselves a platform to win as many games as we can this season.”
Watch full interview on Posh+.
One To Watch
Jade Bell (pictured below) finished as the club’s second-highest goalscorer last season with 14 goals - three behind fellow forward Alex Dicks - despite joining halfway through the campaign with The Cobblers. The forward made the move to The Cobblers from FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division side London Bees and has had plenty of experience at this level with MK Dons Women.
Photo credit: Pete Norton (@PeteNortonPhoto).
Previous Meeting
The two sides met on three occasions last season, with two of those in the league and in the Northants FA County Cup semi-final. Both teams claimed a victory each and were forced to settle for a draw in the other in the FA Women's National League fixture at the Abbey Lawn. The Cobblers ran out winners in the previous meeting back in March as two goals in the first half from Victoria Barrett and Jade Bell secured the victory for them despite Keir Perkins' goal just after the hour mark.
Photo credit: Ruby Red Photography (@rubyredphoto)
Ticket News
Supporters can pay on the gate for Sunday’s game at Fernie Fields Sports Ground. £4 for adults (16+), £2 for children aged 8-15 years old and free for seven and under.
Header Photo Credit: Darren Wiles (@Darren_wiles)