Manchester United Women v West Bromwich Albion Women match programme, Women's FA Cup, 11.01.25
United’s FA Cup defence begins!
MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN
ADOBE WOMEN’S FA CUP FOURTH ROUND • SATURDAY 11 JAN 2025 • 5.15PM
THE NEW
JUNIOR REDS
MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL
Co-chairmen Joel Glazer, Avram Glazer
Directors Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Michael Edelson, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill CBE, Omar Berrada, Sir Dave Brailsford, Jean-Claude Blanc Secretary Rebecca Britain Honorary president Martin Edwards
MATCH PROGRAMME TEAM
Editor Charlie Ghagan Contributors Zoe Hodges, Helen Rowe-Willcocks, Mikey Partington, Joe Ganley, Sean Mullan, Jamie Spencer, Matthew Brown
Photography Charlotte Tattersall, Ash Donelon, Getty Images, Alamy Thanks to Ellie Decrop, John Shiel, Paul Davies, Ian Nolan, Sean Watts (WBA) Printed
It’s been exactly one month since we last lined up at LSV, beating Newcastle in the League Cup, and today our attentions turn to another cup competition
Marc
SKINNER
AS ANOTHER YEAR BEGINS HERE AT LSV, UNITED’S HEAD COACH WANTS TO SEE A RESOLUTE DISPLAY TO KICK OFF THE REDS’ DEFENCE
OF THE FA CUP...
Happy new year, everyone. It’s good to be back and we can’t wait to get started. We want to hit 2025 hard, giving our all and with no regrets.
The players have had a good break – getting that rest is really important – and the squad has come back in good spirits. We’ve been back for a few training sessions now, with the aim of reaching full sharpness on Saturday, where we have the challenge of facing new opponents in West Bromwich Albion. We’ve got to deal with a little bit of the unknown for this game, although a couple of their players were in my youth teams when I was at Birmingham, so it’ll be nice to see them again. New opponents can often be a challenge, but the best way to approach it is to focus on what we can control – to be as sharp as we can, to be hungry, to press, and to try and dictate all of the metrics.
Right now, this is our trophy. We’re the holders and it means a great deal to us to go out and give everything to defend it. Over the past two seasons we’ve played the maximum games possible in this competition, only losing the 2023 final to Chelsea. We’re proud of that, and we want to be aggressive in our pursuit of winning it again. As holders, we have even
received some special balls ahead of this game, with gold trimmings and the words ‘official matchball exclusively for the holders of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup’, so you might see one of those bouncing around LSV today!
As I put this column together, I’m still undecided on my starting line-up. But what I will say is that this year I want to reward the players who perform best in training, as well as those who give everything in the games as well.
Now the transfer window is open, we’ve seen some deals confirmed this week. Hayley Ladd is a fantastic professional and we’ll always have so much respect for what she’s achieved here as she moves on to a new challenge at Everton. Also heading to Everton, but on loan, is Emma Watson, while Jess Simpson is making a loan move back to Bristol City, and Lucy Newell is being loaned to Blackburn. For them all, it’s a chance for us to utilise the loan system in order for them to maximise the opportunity they have to play games, so they can return as better players for Manchester United. We’ve seen with Grace Clinton the benefits of such loans, and we’re excited to see how they all fare.
Enjoy the game – here’s to a winning start to what we all hope will be a highly successful 2025.
numbers Run the
A STAT-BASED
PREVIEW OF TODAY’S FA CUP TIE
Welcome back to LSV, where 2025 kicks off for United with a FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to West Bromwich Albion. If the next year is anything like the 12 months that have just gone – in which we won our first major trophy by becoming winners of this competition, of course – it’ll certainly be another one to remember. In similar fashion to 2024, we’ll get January under way by hosting a new opponent here in the FA Cup and having got the better of Newcastle at this stage of the tournament’s previous edition, we will be hoping for a
similarly positive outcome against the Baggies this time around.
Like Newcastle were at the time, West Brom – who you can find out more about starting from p34 – are third-tier visitors who harbour their own hopes of leaving Leigh having caused an upset, and so we will likely have to be on our game from the first whistle if we are to make a successful start to our defence of the trophy. Happy new year – and bring on United!
Today’s tie is one which encompasses several firsts for our women’s team: game of the calendar year, meeting with West Brom and, specially, outing as defending champions of a major trophy. Nearly eight months have passed since that incredible day at Wembley Stadium, in which we lifted the silverware following a thrilling 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. For all the celebrating and reflecting in the time since, today brings a different kind of pressure, as the defence of our title begins here at Leigh Sports Village. It goes without saying how much
A glory day back in May
we’d all love another May day under the Wembley arch in 2025, and all focus will be on making that first step back to the national stadium once play gets under way at 5.15pm. The win-or-go-home scenario of the fixture leaves little margin for error, with no replays available to provide a second chance in this competition. Extra-time (and potentially penalties) will take place if the teams can’t be separated after 90 minutes.
It’s a first visit from the Albion
We can expect the Reds to be refreshed for today’s FA Cup action, on the back of a well-deserved near-month-long winter break which spanned 26 match-free days. It has been just shy of four weeks since Marc Skinner’s team left south London with all three points from a WSL trip to Crystal Palace – following a narrow 1-0 win – and while that game feels like a while ago now, it was an important result which we’ll look to pick up from today. The pre-Christmas duel with the Eagles was the 13th and final outing of our campaign’s first half, which featured just one defeat across all competitions and, perhaps equally as impressively, just six goals conceded (with three of those coming in our most recent outing here, against Newcastle). It is a solid foundation to build on, as we turn our attentions to what is to come in the new year (turn to p28 for more on that). Four matches, three competitions and two Manchester derbies await United in January alone, so it is sure to be an exciting opening to 2025. And three of that quartet will be played right here at LSV – we’d love it if you can join us here for every one...
year
As 2025 begins, four matches, three competitions and two Manchester derbies await us in January alone
The number of clubs involved in this fourth-round stage of the Women’s FA Cup, with two fixtures played today, and 14 more tomorrow (should the wild weather behave itself, of course, following a wet and snowy week here in Greater Manchester). You can read about the other ties on p43, but the breakdown of the final 32 is as follows: all 12 WSL teams, nine from the Championship, eight from the third tier (including our opponents), two from the fourth, and one from the fifth level (who
happen to have a storied history in the Cup, which was founded in 1970). For the 16 winners in this fourth-round stage, a fifth-round date will await on the second weekend of February, with the quarters to follow in March, the semis in April, and ultimately the 55th final of the competition, to be played at Wembley, on Sunday 18 May. As well as the iconic trophy, a prize pot of £430,000 will once again await the winners at the national stadium.
A
ago, we began our road to silverware in today’s competition with a home win against Newcastle
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LOANS FOR REDS TRIO
As transfer window opens, temporary moves are confirmed for young talents
It’s been a busy week of announcements at United Women, with three of those bulletins confirming exciting loan deals for a trio of young players in Marc Skinner’s squad.
News of defender Jess Simpson’s return to Championship club Bristol City for the remainder of the campaign came first on Tuesday morning and was swiftly followed by midfielder Emma Watson completing a half-season switch to fellow WSL side Everton.
Simpson initially joined the Robins on loan while they were a top-flight team last term, but an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in her second appearance of the spell cruelly
curtailed her bid for further first-team minutes. Watson, meanwhile, had sustained the same issue while on international duty a month earlier and has now joined the club she and Simpson both made their United debuts against in November, a game that marked their respective
THANK YOU, HAYLEY LADD
While Watson finalised a temporary move to Everton, long-serving United midfielder Hayley Ladd completed a permanent switch to the Toffees, ending her five-and-a-half-year spell in Manchester. The Wales international midfielder was an experienced addition in the
summer of 2019, ahead of our first season in the WSL, and went on to play 110 times for the club, scoring 12 goals and winning the FA Cup last summer. Everyone at United would like to thank Hayley for her service and wish her the very best for her next chapter.
returns to action. Later in the week, young defender Lucy Newell – who came through the ranks of today’s opponents West Brom – followed suit in securing a developmental move away, joining Bristol City’s second-tier rivals Blackburn. Good luck, Reds!
CLINTON’S NEW DEAL
An announcement-packed week has also seen Grace Clinton put pen-to-paper on fresh terms with the club.
A one-year option has been triggered on the deal of the England midfielder, meaning it will now run until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
Only five players have lined up for the Reds more times in our history than Hayley
Simpson is back at Bristol City
Watson is off to Everton Newell’s loan takes her to Blackburn
TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE...
Photo taken: Sunday 15 December 2024, VBS Community Stadium, Sutton
What’s the story? Grace Clinton slots the ball home to see the Reds to victory in our most recent fixture, away to Crystal Palace in the WSL 10 days before Christmas. The chance came about after Palace keeper Shae Yanez misplaced a backpass in first-half injury-time, and our no.8 was alert to make the most of it, for her fourth goal of the season. While it was far from an enthralling spectacle in south London, as the hosts sat very deep in an effort to frustrate the visitors, the 1-0 win was vital on a weekend that also saw Chelsea draw at Leicester, and Manchester City lose at Everton. It meant we’d sign off for 2024 with three wins from three in December in all competitions – scoring 10 goals along the way – while United also racked up a joint-league-high seventh WSL clean sheet of the season. Onwards!
UNITED TO DELIVER EXCELLENCE
Captain’s column
MLT
AFTER THE TEAM’S STRONG END TO 2024, MAYA CAN’T WAIT TO LEAD THE REDS AS OUR CUP DEFENCE BEGINS...
Welcome back. I hope you had a nice Christmas, and happy new year to you all.
We’re really looking forward to kicking off 2025 in the FA Cup, as it’s such a special competition to be a part of. To step out on to the pitch knowing we are reigning champions will be a special feeling but it won’t change anything. We’ve always taken this cup very seriously, and we’ve done so well in it in recent seasons. Now we want to go and win it again.
We headed into the Christmas break on the back of three wins in a week, and now we want to pick that good form up in January, with two big Manchester derbies, and a WSL game against Brighton, to come after today.
We were also very proud of picking up yet another clean sheet at Palace in our last game of 2024, meaning we’ve let in just three goals from 10 games all season in the WSL. As a defender, of course that means a lot to me, but it’s been a real defensive effort from front to back, and Phallon in goal has been outstanding
all season. As for today’s game, it’s really exciting to have the opportunity to play against different teams. While West Brom are in a lower division we certainly won’t take them for granted. Anything can happen in this competition – that’s why they call it ‘the magic of the Cup’ – so we need to be ready. But we know if we play at our best we’ll have a great chance of winning this game, so we need to make sure we do just that.
It was a dogged display at Palace, and the action resumes on home soil today
#17 Dominique Janssen
CHATTING TO US IN THE DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, OUR DUTCH NO.17 OPENS UP ABOUT PLAYING IN MIDFIELD, HER EXCITEMENT FOR THE YEAR AHEAD ... AND THE DANGERS OF RAISING THE FA CUP!
Interview: Zoe Hodges
Dom, you seem to have settled in very well at United. How have you enjoyed your first few months at the club?
The time has flown by. I remember the first day coming in and now we’re already having a winter break. I still feel like there’s lots to improve, but it’s just nice to get into the groove of it. I’ve been getting used to being around the girls; getting used to the style that we play. I’m also just enjoying the time on the pitch, but also off the pitch –I think that’s very important to feel good. Settling down is like a process, so it’s not perfect yet.
As well as scoring in the Liverpool game in December, you supplied two assists and Marc Skinner singled you out as being a star player. So it was interesting to hear you say after the game that you weren’t completely happy with your performance – are you always that strict when it comes to assessing your own game?
Since coming here, I’ve started playing in midfield, whereas before, I’ve played five years as a centre-back. So, I know the position, but it’s also getting back in the groove of it. I know it’s a position that I can play really well. And I think against Liverpool, I performed pretty good but there are always a few moments in your head where, I know that this was a moment that I could still do better. So, I’m just striving for perfection. I don’t think I should be too strict on myself but I think it’s also one of my qualities to not be happy too quickly, because I know, for example, then the following week against Crystal Palace, that was maybe not my best performance and that just kind of bothers me, because I want to perform well, and I want to perform every single game well. So, I think it also shows who I am as a person, to not be happy too quickly, but at the end, obviously, I was very happy to get my first goal and to get two assists.
The manager has also pointed out how much defensive coverage you give the team. As such, you must take real pride in the vast number of clean sheets we’ve kept so far this season? Together with the whole defence and then me playing in the ‘six’, and the other girls besides me in midfield – just knowing that we can defend really well, it’s a nice thought that if you’re going to score one goal, you’re going to keep a clean sheet and get the three points. It’s credit to all the girls involved, because defending starts in the offensive positions as well. People putting their bodies on the line is just generally a really nice thing to see – to see people fighting for everything.
Our attention in the new year is to switch to the cup competitions – we’re in the League Cup quarter-final v Manchester City and we have the FA Cup to defend. You’ve won both already, of course. What memories do you have of the 2016 FA Cup final, when Arsenal beat Chelsea? I didn’t start, but I came on, and I
remember just winning it, with Kelly Smith being unbelievable, Dan Carter scoring an unbelievable goal, and then just walking up the stairs to get the trophy. It’s like a memory you will never forget. And one other funny thing, I don’t think anyone has seen it, but after we got back down with the trophy, the trophy has a lid on it, so I just wanted to lift the trophy, but the lid fell off, and it fell on my head! My fellow Dutchies at the time were almost on the floor laughing at me! But it was a beautiful day.
You’ve since won even bigger trophies than that, but back then as a young player was it a nerve-wracking experience? What advice would you pass down to the younger players here at United about preparing for such moments? When you’re young, you’re going to put more pressure on yourself, but it’s very important that you just enjoy what you’re doing. Because the older players will always tell you – enjoy it because before you know it, you’re going to be 30, and I am turning 30 soon, and it’s like, wow, your career goes by so fast. So you should really,
Dom has really enjoyed her return to England, helped by making some new friends along the way
“Every girl out there wants to play one day in the WSL. That’s very nice to see and one of the reasons why I came back”
really enjoy it, but also just put in all the effort you can, and really try to become better every day.
As for the League Cup, incredibly this season’s final will be a decade on from when you first won it with Arsenal. How do you look back on that time in English women’s football, generally speaking, compared to how it is now?
Good question. I remember at the time that England did really well in the World Cup in 2015 so when I came in the league [Arsenal signing her from SGS Essen that year], you could tell there was some progression going on. And since seeing that more and more people want to come to the English league – I think right now, for every girl out there, they want to play one day in the WSL – that’s a very nice thing to see. That’s also one of the reasons why I came back to the WSL [from Wolfsburg last summer], because it’s just a very competitive competition, and I still think it’s pretty English – the English style, there’s going to be a lot of dueling. Every weekend, you have to give it your all; you have to fight for the points.
The Arsenal side you played in won every domestic trophy going when you were there. It’s interesting to see that the cup wins came first during that period – the League Cup (2015), then the FA Cup (2016), then the WSL (2019). Did you have a sense of those cup successes giving you the belief to make the next step as a team?
It’s very interesting, because when I came to Arsenal, there was a transition going on at the club, because they had been very successful, and then some of the players eventually stopped and younger players came in, but we could still rely on the experience from the older players. That’s why we won the cups, and then, from just getting more experience playing at the highest level, we eventually won the league. It’s something that grew and grew up until the point that we got it. You work every day together so hard to
get better, and that was just the whole process of winning the cups first and then eventually being so consistent to win the WSL, because in England, it’s never easy to win it.
Our latest FA Cup opponents West Brom are in a lower league but will no doubt prove a different kind of test. We’ll be strong favourites, but it can be really hard facing a team we might not know too much about, and for whom it’ll be such a massive occasion...
It’s one of those games you go into, and you just have to be 100 per cent because whatever league you’re playing, a cup game is something special. Every team within a cup competition, they know it’s a knockout game. So you have to be there on the day; you have to perform at your best. Even if they’re one or two leagues below you, that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be an easy game, so we’ll have to be on top of our game and perform well to progress.
Wisely lifting a flag (rather than the trophy) above her head after winning the Women’s FA Cup in 2016
Janssen spent five years with Wolfsburg prior to her move to Manchester last summer
Away from club football, you have a big year ahead in 2025 with the Euros coming up. How much are you looking forward to hopefully being a part of that Netherlands side, and has the banter between any of your English team-mates started as the Lionesses look to defend their title?
I’m really looking forward to it. I also think it’s going to be in a beautiful country – I’m very excited to see more of Switzerland. The girls here haven’t really said anything about defending the championship, but obviously we’re going to be in a group together, and it’s a very tough one [alongside France and Wales in Group D], but I’m really excited to have such good opponents and also so many club team-mates that I’m going to face in the Euros. It’s just a very exciting thing that’s happening.
Sarina Wiegman was your manager when you won Euro 2017, of course. Tell us about how you found Wiegman as a manager...
She’s a really good manager; she knows what she’s doing, she has a plan ready. She manages everything around it pretty well – she knows her strengths and uses them correctly. England also winning the Euros, then becoming vice-champions at the World Cup –it’s a very similar route we had with the Dutch team. Seeing how big it became in England – people from the team, they became celebrities basically! They can’t walk down the street without being recognised. That’s a process that happened in the Netherlands as well, and Sarina had a really big part in it. It’s really nice to see she’s doing so well, but hopefully when we play them, they are not doing too good!
United’s men team have had a few legendary Dutch players over the years – including three with a ‘van’ in their name! – so as a club did you
follow them closely? And we have three Dutch players in the men’s team now of course...
I knew Ruud van Nistelrooy already a little bit before, because one time he came to see the national team, and we had a chat about his experience as a professional. It’s funny, because one time I was on holiday in the Netherlands and at a restaurant. He was sitting there with his family, and I was there with my best friend, and it was like, ‘oh, hey!’ –he recognised me, and obviously I recognised him. As a human being, it’s just really nice to have someone that’s so open and spontaneous, like every time when we pass the guys going to training. That’s also something that I would expect as a Dutch person; we are very open and friendly.
Much is made of your versatility, and as well as playing centre-back at Wolfsburg, you’ve also filled in at full-back. Do you have a preference? I really enjoy the ‘six’ role. It’s very challenging, because obviously you’re in the middle, and you have to scan 360 degrees, whereas in the centre-back role everything’s in front of you. I like that the
The home win against Liverpool in December was one of Dom’s best displays yet in the United shirt
“I really enjoy the ‘six’ role. I like that the manager is challenging me and putting me in that position”
manager is challenging me and putting me in that position, because I know I can still become a better player. That’s one of the reasons why I moved here, because I don’t want to settle down. I’m here to become better and also have success with the club.
One big trophy missing from your career is the Champions League, with your Wolfsburg team going so close in 2023. How much of an ambition is it of yours to add that to your collection? I think it would be big for the club as well if we
reached it. United were very close last season to reaching the Champions League group stage. It was very unfortunate with the draw [against PSG]. But in the end, if you want to compete in big competitions, you have to play against bigger opponents. In this season we’ve been doing well. I don’t think we have played our best football yet, but we have the results so far. So we’re competing for the spot [in the UWCL], and I really hope we can make it happen. Obviously, it would be great to, first of all, reach the Champions League with this club, and then in the next years – I don’t know how long I’m going to play for – but if I would be able to still win the Champions League, it would be a dream come true.
You have a bit of a milestone birthday coming up in January – how do you plan to celebrate that? Thirty is nothing in modern football terms, right! I know 30 is a big age, so I’ve put in the effort to organise something. I’ve asked all my friends and family if they’re able to come over. It’s also a big weekend, because we play Man City away, so it’s nice that everyone that is coming over can also come and watch the game. We can play the game, they can come to watch it and I can celebrate afterwards. The next day, I will have a day off, and spend a little bit more time with friends and family, take them out for breakfast and just say a massive thank you to them for celebrating it with me. I’m really excited! ●
The 2019 World Cup finalist is looking forward to another big international competition this summer
PLAY WITH STYLE
WHAT IS STYLE?
It’s Control. Creativity. And being prepared to cross that line. It’s the freedom to do your thing and play to your own whistle. It’s the ‘I’ in Individuality and the ‘You’ in UNITED.
www.remington.co.uk/manutd
BRINGING FESTIVE CHEER
Last month saw the Reds meet many hospital patients, with gifts for all!
Manchester United Women paid a festive visit to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and The Christie last month, honouring the club’s annual tradition of visiting local hospitals to deliver gifts during the festive period.
Thirteen members of Marc Skinner’s squad visited Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, spending time with patients and helping to hand out United-themed gift bags, play games, sign autographs and pose for photos. Captain Maya Le Tissier was one of those to attend the hospital, which provides specialist healthcare services for young people throughout the North West. Maya said: “It’s special to come here and see what’s going on, and to try to give something back. It’s so important we do this. These things give us our energy and we see how big United is, and how many people support us. It means a lot to me and the rest of the team.”
Ella Toone added: “We know how hard Christmas can be for some people; for children who are not spending it at home, it must be difficult. For us to come down here and spend some time handing out some Christmas presents, it could make their day, their week or even their month.
It’s something we always enjoy doing; it’s nice for us to be able to come here and experience something like this.”
Meanwhile, six members of the women’s team squad brought festive cheer to teenagers, plus a few adults, at The Christie, in Withington, speaking with patients and families who experienced a tough Christmas period. Aoife Mannion was among the Reds there, and said: “We’ve met some of the lovely people here, heard a little bit about their journeys, and hopefully just
brought some smiles to their faces and provided a little bit of a distraction. We’ve just got our fingers crossed for everyone who we’ve met that their treatment goes well.”
For more, visit mufoundation.org
Le Tissier was among those visiting Manchester Children’s Hospital in the run-up to Christmas
All smiles at The Christie, where a group of Reds also visited
We’d
We hope that Wren Shaw had a great 13th birthday. She’s even off to the Euros this summer!
Alice Mulholland turns 16 this weekend – she’s pictured showing her support for captain Maya with a Guernsey flag.
Hello to Mia, who is a big fan of Rachel Williams.
Hello to Amelia, whose no.1 player is our Leah!
Happy 10th birthday, Hollie – love Mum, Dad and Ritchie.
Belated birthday wishes to Helen, a season ticket holder alongside daughter Jessica.
Happy 16th birthday, Ruby Farrington (in all three pics above) Have the best time in Paris!
like to wish Molly Nicholls a happy 11th birthday. She recently met some of the squad at Carrington.
2024/25 POSTER MELVINE MALARD
*date and kick off time subject to change
Rewind to...
3 FEB 2019 ● BROADFIELD STADIUM, CRAWLEY
“Toone turns in the middle, she plays it out wide to Sigsworth, who charges down the right and into the box... Sigsworth cuts it back for James – 1-0!”
In the absence of any official commentary from our first-ever FA Cup tie, played nearly six years ago, that’s how we’d paint a picture of the Reds’ maiden goal in this competition. Played in front of a sparse crowd of just 764 down in West Sussex – many of whom were there to support United – an away draw against top-flight opposition was a big test for the fledgling, second-tier Reds. Lauren James’s fine double, either side of a Siobhan Chamberlain penalty save to preserve our lead, took us into the next round, and since that inaugural campaign we’ve continued to perform very well in our FA Cup opener each season.
Today’s game will be our sixth fourth-round clash (the stage we’ve always entered at) and we’ve only lost once to date – a 2-3 reverse to Manchester City in
2019/20 (we’re obliged here to reference Abbie McManus’s ‘ghost’ goal that seemed to have crossed the line to level the score but wasn’t given... gah!).
There’s been no such controversy since then, with three away wins in the fourth round between 2020/21 and 2022/23 – and all against lower-league sides: 6-0 at Burnley, 2-0 at Bridgwater, and 2-1 at Sunderland. Last season saw a return to LSV at this stage, with third-tier Newcastle the opposition as we won 5-0.
So all in, we’ve had five wins from six in the fourth round, with four clean sheets, and an equally impressive 19 goals scored. Here’s hoping we see goal no.20 and beyond today. Should Ella Toone be available, she’s one to keep an eye on, having scored in three of the five wins mentioned above.
And as for our 14 players used down in Crawley for FA Cup game no.1 in 2019, only Ella and Leah Galton, along with the pictured Millie Turner, remain with us.
Turner runs to congratulate James following a landmark goal, with the Reds going on to reach the quarter-final stage that season
2025...
WE’LL BE WATCHING!
Words: Jamie Spencer
AS
A NEW YEAR BEGINS, WE LOOK AT WHAT COULD LIE AHEAD OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS –– BOTH FOR UNITED AND THE WIDER WOMEN’S GAME
OLD TRAFFORD DERBY IN MAY
Sticking with a ‘derby’ theme, United will be heading back to Old Trafford in the first weekend in May, for the penultimate game of our WSL season – the Reds having started the 2024/25 campaign at the stadium with a handsome 3-0 win over West Ham. This will be the third season on the spin in which we’ve played two games at Old Trafford, and Manchester City will be a returning opponent for a derby clash that could prove decisive in the final push for the top spots in the WSL.
We may have won five of our seven games at Old Trafford to date, but City claimed victory on their visit last season, despite Katie Zelem firing the Reds ahead from the spot, so a first win at United’s iconic main stadium against one of the traditional ‘big three’ is very much the aim here, whatever is at stake on the day.
As mentioned above, Marc Skinner’s side will have faced City twice before then, both in the coming days, so the teams will have a good
LEAGUE CUP KNOCKOUT STAGE
All roads lead to Derby County’s Pride Park in the newly re-branded Subway Women’s League Cup. United are into the knockout stages for the first time since 2021/22 after securing maximum points in the group stage, and the quarter-final v Manchester City under the midweek lights here at LSV on 22 January will not be one to miss. This will be the fifth League Cup Manchester derby in the last six seasons and, with the road to the final already mapped out, we know that the winner of this game – to be played three days after a WSL derby at the Etihad – will face Brighton or Arsenal in February’s semis. Chelsea v Durham, and Tottenham v West Ham completes the other half of the draw. The Pride Park final is set for Saturday 15 March (12.15pm) and could bring a
competition attendance record – currently 21,462 from last season’s final at Molineux. Derby’s home holds close to 34,000 – if we can reach a maiden League Cup final, you can bet we’ll travel in big numbers, just as we’ve done to Wembley in recent seasons.
measure of each other come May (and who knows, such has been the regularity of cup draws between the local rivals – the upcoming League Cup quarter-final will be cup tie no.7 since we reformed in 2018 – don’t be surprised if we’re paired up in the FA Cup before then to boot!)
Tickets for the Old Trafford WSL derby are on sale now, so grab yours via tickets.ManUtd.com if you haven’t already. Tickets are just £10/£7.50, with hospitality from just £25 per person. Will we beat our attendance record of 43,615, set against City at Old Trafford in November 2023? We shall see, but your support will be greatly appreciated.
We’re never tire of walking out on
Derby: a very nice place to visit in mid-March...
the pitch at this iconic stadium...
‘BIG THREE’ RUN-IN IN WSL
The 2024/25 league campaign ends with a run of games that promises to be defining – not just from a United perspective, but across the higher echelons of the WSL table. After we do battle with Chelsea at Leigh Sports Village (27 April), then face Manchester City at Old Trafford (4 May), our WSL season finishes against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on 11 May. Talk about a tasty run-in! The Emirates is a venue that was the setting for one of our finest hours, of course – the 3-2 comeback win in November 2022, with our eye-catching fluorescent strip, plus the limbs in the packed away end, evoking memories as strong as the performance on the pitch that night. Such levels of vocal support in north London could again be crucial, given what’s potentially at stake for both sides. If the first half of the season is anything to go by, the race to secure those three coveted Champions League spots could go right to the wire. There was nothing to separate United and Arsenal in a 1-1 draw at Leigh in November (pictured) and the sides are locked together on points (21) coming out of the winter break, with City only one point further ahead in second place. And – fingers crossed – should Chelsea drop more points in the New Year following their surprising recent draw at Leicester, the title race could yet be blown wide open too. From United’s point of view, those final three games are certain to be crucial to our hopes of securing European football, at a minimum.
DEFENCE OF THE CUP
This season marks 10 years since Wembley first staged the Women’s FA Cup final, with the national stadium now the permanent – and in recent seasons, sold out – home for the annual showpiece.
Today’s fourth-round tie against West Bromwich Albion is just the start of what we hope will be a third successive United adventure down to play at the famous arch come Sunday 18 May.
Although the 2023 final didn’t fall our way, as Chelsea narrowly snatched a 1-0 win, that beautifully sunny day last May, with Ella Toone sending the Reds on the way to a 4-0 win over Tottenham and a first-ever major trophy with her Goal of the Season strike, will never be forgotten. Plenty of teams have successfully retained the FA Cup over its five decades, stretching back to the beginning when Southampton Women’s FC dominated the 1970s. Most recently, Chelsea won three in a row across 2021, 2022 and 2023, while Manchester City also went back-to-back in the two years before that. From now, a round is played each month. The fifth round will follow on 9 February, with the quarters scheduled for 9 March, and the semis on 13 April. A repeat for the Reds of last term’s five-game charge to the trophy? Yes, please.
After we won the 54th staging of the Women’s FA Cup, who’ll get their hands on the trophy for the 55th?
EURO 2025
Warm afternoons and evenings watching the football might seem a long way off as you read this huddled under your hood at LSV in January, but a summer of international action will be here before we know it, as Euro 2025 takes place in Switzerland (2-27 July). It’s the first time the landlocked country has hosted the tournament, which is now in its 14th edition. Eight cities will host the 16 contenders and there stands to be plenty of United representation. This is especially the case in Group D: Ella Toone, Grace Clinton, Maya Le Tissier, Millie Turner and Gabby George have all been part of the England camp this season, with the reigning champions drawn alongside Wales, who could have Reds representation in their squad as the Dragons compete in their first major tournament.
Dominique Janssen, a Euros winner in 2017, is one of the Netherlands’ senior stars, while Melvine Malard will be hoping to earn a place in the France squad. Celin Bizet, Elisabeth Terland and Lisa Naalsund could be involved from day one as Norway kick things off by taking on the hosts in Group A, with Anna Sandberg hoping to be part of Sweden’s squad as they take on Denmark, Poland and Germany in Group C. With all 31 matches on the BBC or ITV, we can think of far worse ways to spend the month of July...
A number of our young Reds regularly train alongside the first-team squad
ACADEMY AMBITIONS
The Academy is a core pillar of what Manchester United is about – after all, we’ve always had a youth-team graduate feature in every senior game we’ve ever played – and this season has seen more homegrown players named in the senior squad, while others have made their debuts. As ever, the Academy aspires to equip its talented girls with the life skills that will serve them well, whichever path they ultimately pursue, but with the underlying aim of preparing them for senior football. The last step on that youth ladder is the Professional Game Academy (PGA), and it’s been an encouraging start to the season at both U16 and U21 age groups within that. We qualified for the second phase of the PGA U21 League by finishing top of the northern section and have made a strong start to the next stage – winning three from three to lead Group 1 before Christmas.
The goal is to retain last season’s national title by first qualifying for the overall final. Our PGA U21 Cup run ended last month at the quarter-final stage with defeat to Arsenal, but we are also in the FA Women’s National League Plate semi-finals against Bournemouth’s senior side on 26 January. There’s so much talent to be seen beneath the senior team, and whatever comes next for all the girls, we’ll continue to support them all the way.
St Jakob-Park, Basel, will host this year’s Euros final
BUMPER TV DEAL
Securing a new broadcast deal was earmarked as a priority for the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) once it took over the running of the WSL and Championship from the FA last year, and the sums involved in the five-year agreement should greatly benefit every club in the top two tiers. It will see the BBC and Sky Sports continue to show the majority of each season’s 132 WSL games, with some overlapping – the BBC winning the rights to 21 (14 exclusively to BBC TV), while Sky can show up to 118 (78 exclusively) to more than treble its existing output – a figure that also includes all the games from the final weekend. All remaining fixtures will be streamed live on the WPLL’s YouTube channel, while Sky has options on League Cup and Championship fixtures for the first time. A forward-thinking move has even seen players granted in-game and post-game rights, meaning they can directly share clips with fans through their own social media channels. Nice!
MAYA’S RACE TO A HUNDRED
Maya Le Tissier is set to become the next United centurion, joining an exclusive club that counts Ella Toone, Katie Zelem, Millie Turner, Leah Galton, Mary Earps and Hayley Ladd as its current members. Described by Marc Skinner as “the perfect role model for the next generation”, the skipper has raced to 77 games in super-quick time just two-and-a-half years after joining from Brighton. Maya won’t hit the century milestone by the end of this term (even us reaching both cup finals will leave her three short of the 23 she needs), but if she continues her United career as she’s started it, there should be cause for celebration – and no doubt a nice framed ‘100’ shirt, as has become customary – in the opening portion of 2025/26. What’s remarkable is that Le Tissier (pictured) hasn’t missed a single WSL game in five years and she’s played every minute of every United game in all competitions for the past two years –since January 2023. Talk about Miss Consistency...
UNITED’S 200 th FIXTURE
Another big number on the horizon is a double century for the Reds... can you believe we’re talking about this already? Such a milestone feels like it has come around so fast, but it’s approaching seven years since the Reds were reformed ahead of game no.1 (pictured). The
team will hit the 200 in the coming months – whether this season or in the early stages of the next campaign will depend on how we fare in cup competitions. To crunch the figures down, today marks the team’s 185th fixture. The first 184 have seen 119 wins, 27 draws, 38 defeats, a highly impressive 450 goals scored, and 163 conceded. After today there are 13 more guaranteed fixtures left to play in 2024/25 – a dozen in the WSL, plus the imminent League Cup quarter-final – which will take us to a minimum of 198 before the current campaign’s end. So, we require two victories in cup competitions if we’re to hit 200 before season’s end – here’s hoping the first of those comes today against the Baggies... ●
MANCHESTER UNITED
Today’s visitors:
WEST BROMWICH ALBION
About our opponents...
Nickname: The Baggies
Founded: 1989
Primary home ground: Valley Stadium, Redditch (5,000 capacity)
Last season: FA Women’s National League North, 9th of 12, FA Cup third round
Top scorer this season: Simran Jhamat (7) Best achievements: FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division champions 2015/16
West Bromwich Albion have been a mainstay of the third tier for much of the last 15 years and will hope to give a good account of themselves in what is a first encounter with top-flight opposition since a heavy defeat to Brighton at this stage of the FA Cup two seasons ago.
An independent women’s team using the name West Bromwich Albion first emerged in 1989. This side was integrated into the club’s Community Programme in 2004/05, before becoming affiliated to the Albion Foundation in 2009. The name changed at this point to Sporting Club Albion, with a commitment to youth development through the launch of a Girls’ Centre of Excellence – the club continues to nurture local talent through its Girls Football Pathway, starting at Under-9 level.
As Sporting Club Albion, the Baggies enjoyed a run to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2016, falling to a respectable 2-0 defeat against a Manchester City
side that won the WSL that year. West Brom also came within one game of reaching the Women’s Championship (then WSL 2) that season, winning the northern section of the third tier but agonisingly falling to southern champions Southampton in the ‘winner takes all’ promotion play-off.
The club started using the West Brom name again soon after and, a brief one-season blip in 2018 aside, have continued to hold their own at a steady level in the Women’s National League North. But this latest FA Cup run has offered some relief from a challenging league campaign that saw the Baggies lose six of their final seven league fixtures of 2024.
Women’s National League sides enter in the first round as relative ‘big fish’, so a thumping West Brom win was to be expected when they were tasked with a short West Midlands hop to fifth-tier Knowle in early November. It was an opportunity to bounce back from some disappointing league results, including an 8-0 defeat in the Black Country derby against Wolves, and the Cup outing finished 7-1 as Rhianne Oakley netted her first two goals for the club. “If I’m to be critical I think we could have scored a few more and, it easily could have been double figures,” Baggies coach Siobhan Hodgetts-Still reflected post-match.
ROUND LINE-UP:
v CHEADLE TOWN STINGERS (HOME, FA CUP), 08.12.24
SUBS USED: EVANS, MAHMOOD, RHODES, GREEN
A 6-0 home triumph over fourth-tier Worcester City followed in the second round three weeks later, as Oakley went one better by scoring a hat-trick. That took the striker to six goals for the campaign, all of which have come in cup outings. Still a division higher, West Brom were also the heavy favourites against Cheadle Town Stingers in round three, although it was a tighter and slightly cagey contest played in stormy conditions in Redditch. The game finished with defender Hannah George in goal for West Brom due to an injury to goalkeeper Anna Miller, but two first-half goals were the difference.
Albion’s final game before Christmas saw them reach the Birmingham County FA Challenge Cup semi-finals, securing a win on penalties over WNL North high-flyers Wolves, allowing the Baggies to at least take some revenge on their local rivals following their league humbling weeks earlier.
It’s been two decades of West Brom service for Siobhan Hodgetts-Still. Although appointed first-team boss relatively recently, in the summer of 2023, her association with the club stretches back to 2004 when she became a coach with the Albion Foundation. That was followed by eight years as a Baggies player herself until 2014, before returning in 2016 as a coach within the women’s set-up.
HEAD COACH PACY ATTACKER
Welsh attacker Rhianne Oakley is new to West Brom following a summer switch from Cardiff City. By her own admission it was a “big move” leaving South Wales, having previously also played academy football at nearby Bristol City. The ex-Swansea City and Pontypridd Town talent has been prolific in the FA Cup in 2024/25, with five goals to date.
WSL TALENT
Even at the age of 23, Simran Jhamat has built a considerable breadth of experience. The midfielder joined West Brom ahead of last term, an eye-catching signing after previously turning out for Leicester City, Coventry United, Lewes and Bristol City in the higher-level Championship, and even Liverpool in the WSL. Jhamat, who grew up in a Punjabi Sikh family, has represented England at many junior levels.
Left: Some comfortable victories in their three previous FA Cup ties – including a 2-0 win against Cheadle Town Stingers in the third round – brings the Baggies to Leigh Sports Village for the first time
“It’s exciting and crazy!” THE RABJOHNS WATCHED THE CUP DRAW WITH MUCH INTEREST, AND IT’S NOT THE ONLY CROSS-CLUB LINK...
There is a strong family connection as West Bromwich Albion come to town today as Olivia Rabjohn has been a key part of the Baggies set-up since rejoining the club 18 months ago. The 22-year-old winger is, of course, the older sister of United full-back, Evie.
Olivia started her football journey at West Brom in their Under-10s squad, spending four years with the club before spells across the West Midlands with Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Coventry United. Away from her own career, she is her little sister’s biggest fan. ‘You make me prouder every day, star girl,’ was the message when Evie signed for United in 2023.
Unfortunately, Evie’s ongoing recovery from injury means the Rabjohns won’t get a chance to go directly up against each other on the pitch – that could have been a possibility in different circumstances, given that the versatile Olivia often plays on the left and Evie, who is three years younger, is primarily a right-back.
Speaking to us during a winter catch-up, Evie recalled the Cup draw, saying: “As soon as the whole thing started, I was like: ‘It’s going to be West Brom, it’s going to be West Brom.’ And it was! It’s just crazy, out of everything that could have happened, that’s what happened. It’s massive for her, it will be massive for her to be shown [live], and people can watch her play. Obviously, it’s a tough one that I can’t but it means we can’t kick and hurt each other so it’s probably for the best! But it’s exciting and just crazy.”
There is also a deep affinity with West Brom for 18-year-old Lucy Newell, the United defender who this week made a loan switch to Blackburn to continue her development. West Brom is the club where Lucy grew up as a footballer, spending the best part of a decade
until her switch to United in 2023. After spending time with Marc Skinner’s senior squad during last year’s summer training camp in Marbella, October saw her sign her first professional contract with the Reds.
A lifelong Baggies fan who made her first-team debut at 16 after rising through the ranks, Lucy was named West Brom’s 2022/23 Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. The fact that she had to miss the awards night due to being on international duty with England’s Under-17 squad only underlined her star quality.
Even after joining the Reds, Lucy remained with West Brom on a dual-registration basis for 2023/24. “I always wanted to come back here because West Brom’s my team, and to play so many minutes at my club is an honour,” she said before eventually saying her final goodbyes in May. No doubt she’ll be watching on this afternoon with just as much interest as the Rabjohn family...
Evie’s recovery from injury is going well
Olivia was named the Baggies’ 2023/24 Players’ Player of the Season...
...a year after Lucy won the same award while with Albion
WHEN WE WON
Helping our young people tell their stories.
FOLLOW ALONG
Stats AT THE BACK
WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TABLE, 2024/25
UNITED APPEARANCES & GOALS,
A CLOSER LOOK...
The win v Newcastle in our last home outing saw Safia Middleton-Patel become the 23rd player to line up for the Reds this season, and the 73rd overall, eight of whom have been keepers. The other seven are Siobhan Chamberlain, Fran Bentley, Emily Ramsey, Mary Earps, Aurora Mikalsen, Sophie Baggaley and Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
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WOMEN’S FA CUP preview
THE BATTLE FOR THE CUP INTENSIFIES THIS WEEKEND, AS THE 12 WSL TEAMS ENTER AT THE FOURTH-ROUND STAGE
No club from outside the top flight has lifted the FA Cup since the Women’s Super League was founded in 2011, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City dominating the competition in the years since (until United memorably broke the mould at Wembley last May).
Helpfully for the lower-ranked sides hoping to test themselves against the elite clubs, there are just two all-WSL ties in this round: West Ham host Liverpool, and Tottenham travel to Everton, who last won the trophy in 2009/10 and have made the final six times. Record 14-time winners Arsenal welcome Bristol City, while Manchester City are visited by Ipswich Town.
But there’s plenty of intrigue beyond the big-hitting Barclays teams. Fifth-tier Fulham – who have won the Cup three times, in 1985, 2002 and 2003 – are the lowest-ranked club left in the competition, and they’re up against
Fifth-tier Fulham are the lowest-ranked club – despite having lifted the trophy three times
Championship opponents in London City Lionesses. Earlier today, Brighton & Hove Albion took on Durham down south, in the first televised match of the weekend. Six more games will be broadcast tomorrow – including London Bees v Rugby Borough, and Chelsea v Charlton Athletic. If you’d like to watch any of those fixtures, you can find them live on the Adobe Women’s FA Cup YouTube channel and FA Player.
The story of the competition so far has been the wealth of FA Women’s National League sides barrelling into round four – demonstrating the growing strength of the third and fourth tiers. Stoke City are one of them, having beat Chester-le-Street Town 2-1 to make this stage for the first time in five years. They’ll take on top-flight Leicester City for their reward, while Wolves – who put 14 (yep, fourteen!) past Shrewsbury to qualify – go to Cheltenham Town.
One third-round tie was still to be played as we went to print, with the winners of Nottingham Forest and Burnley’s tie due to travel to Newcastle United. The remaining fourth-round ties include Crystal Palace v Sheffield United, Exeter City v Sunderland, Aston Villa against Bristol Rovers, and Blackburn Rovers v Portsmouth. It’s set to be an exciting weekend, as giants and minnows bid to make the last 16.
Brighton (pictured) faced Durham earlier today, with the 14 other fourth-round ties taking place tomorrow
FIXTURES + RESULTS
ADDED-TIME QUIZ
Some FA Cup-themed teasers to kick off the new year...
Rachel Williams won the FA Cup with which of West Brom’s Midlands neighbours – Aston Villa or Birmingham?
Which stage of the competition did the Reds reach in the club’s first FA Cup run, in 2018/19?
West Brom’s squad includes Evie Rabjohn’s sister, Olivia, but against which North West club did Evie make her Reds debut last season?
Who were the last non-WSL club United faced in the FA Cup at Leigh Sports Village?
Aside from own goals, who is the only player to score both for and against United in the FA Cup?
Which is the currently highest-ranked WSL side the Reds have never previously faced in the FA Cup? 2. 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10.
Two players are level on 13 goals as United’s all-time joint-top goalscorers in cup competitions, across the FA Cup and the League Cup. Ella Toone is one, but who is the other? 8.
Who was United’s top scorer in the FA Cup last season?
Which Scotland international scored the final goal of the Casey Stoney era, in an FA Cup defeat to Leicester City in 2021?
Which two current Reds have started each of the club’s last 10 FA Cup games?
