AFC Fylde Women are in cup action on Sunday when they host Chorley Women FC in the Preliminary Round of the FAWNL Plate.
Photo: John Shirras
The Coasters welcome the Magpies to Kellamergh Park on Sunday 15th September, with kick-off at 2.00 pm.
This weekend’s clash is the first of two meetings in a fortnight since Chorley will return to Kellamergh Park for a league fixture in the final week of September.
These two Lancashire sides now compete in the same division at fourth-tier level, but they are already familiar opponents after playing each other in the same competition last season.
In late August 2023, the Coasters earned a morale-boosting 2-1 win over the Magpies in the FAWNL Cup Determining Round. After Chorley had opened the scoring midway through the second half, Fylde completed a dramatic comeback with two goals in the dying embers of the tie.
In the previous round of this season’s FAWNL Cup, Fylde made a midweek trip to Victoria Park in Nelson to face Burnley Women in the Determining Round. Burnley scored five times in the first half, before adding two more goals in the second half to press home their advantage. The Coasters acquitted themselves well against higher-league opposition, but the Clarets ran out comfortable 7-0 winners on the night.
Chorley also tasted defeat in the Determining Round when they went down 2-1 at home to Cheadle Town Stingers. Jess Gillin’s early opener was cancelled out by Nicola Worthington’s equaliser with 20 minutes remaining. The Stingers went on to grab the winner when Imogen Porteous-Williams restored the visitors’ lead six minutes from time.
Carmelo Ruggieri’s Chorley side will be hoping to carry their excellent league form into the FAWNL Plate when they visit the Fylde coast this weekend. The Magpies will be in a confident mood after an impressive 1-0 home win against Huddersfield Town Women last time out.
A sensational strike by Millie Fitzpatrick gave Chorley the perfect start inside the opening minute on a very wet afternoon in Euxton. After withstanding a great deal of pressure from the Terriers, Chorley managed to preserve their lead and register their third win of the season.
On a similar note, the Coasters will also be looking to build some positive momentum with a successful run in the FAWNL Plate, starting with the visit of Chorley this Sunday.
Words by Scott Jones
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