After scoring crucial goals in their progress to round four of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, striker Amy Russ is looking to fire Chatham Town Women into the competitions last sixteen for the very first time tomorrow when York City Ladies come to Medway.
Russ signed for the Chats from Dartford in the summer and has become an integral part of Keith Boanas’s squad as Chatham have gone further in the competition than they, or their Gillingham Women predecessors ever have, scoring in the 3-3 draw at AFC Wimbledon in Round One and then adding the third in the 3-0 win at Sutton United in the previous round.
We caught up with Russ at training this week and she told us how the Chats tight dressing room has undoubtedly helped their Cup progress; “We are a very tight group this year and hopefully that can carry us through on Sunday.”
“It was hard after our last game (a disappointing 1-3 reverse at MK Dons ten days ago) as we were all disappointed as we know the levels that we can get too, and as hard as we tried to force it in the game, it just didn’t happen. It wasn’t through lack of preparation – sometimes you just get on the pitch, and it doesn’t happen how you want it too!”
York City Ladies play at the same level of the Women’s game in the Chats but are in the Northern section as opposed to the Southeast section where you find the Medway side meaning that the winner of Sunday’s tie will be the lowest ranked side left in the competition.
“It’s unusual to get two sides from this level playing each other this far into the competition,” Russ admitted, “But we can’t look at it in any other way that playing the same way we did at Wimbledon and Exeter – we hoping to get the job done of course, but we will not underestimate York at all. We know that lower sides can easily beat upper rated teams and we have done that ourselves.”
“I’m sure that they would have done their research on us the same way that Keith and his staff have done on them, and in some respects it’s what we need at the moment.”
It will be the Chats first home game of the New Year this weekend, a New Year that hasn’t really started yet, and Russ admitted it was frustrating. “We had a break over Christmas, unlike the men, and haven’t really got going since – we have had to fight through the period of not having games so we will have to make sure we’re on it come Sunday!”
“Talking to people around the Towns and people who don’t normally come have said that they are this week, which is so nice to hear and hopefully Sunday could be the boost for our League crowds as well.
“It is a long season and yes we are in the FA Cup, but we are also defending three others that we won last year!” the Chats striker said, reminding us that the Chats are still defending the Kent Cup, the Isthmian League Cup, and the Combined Counties League Cup that they won so gloriously last season.”
Under 16s will be admitted free at the Bauvill Stadium for the 1pm kick off on Sunday, as the Club look for their best ever attendance on the biggest day in the Club’s history… so far!
Images courtesy of Allen Hollands