Dan McNamara has ambitions to go deep into the Adobe Women’s FA Cup this season, but admits the first step is ensuring that Wolves Women are in the hat for round three.
The Old Gold host Peterborough United at the New Bucks Head on Sunday afternoon and McNamara has spoken on the prestigious competition, coming up against the Posh and how the squad are looking in terms of injuries and fitness.
On the FA Cup and going deep into the competition
“It’s a massive game on Sunday. We’ve got fond memories as a group of the FA Cup after drawing West Ham in the fourth round last season and the away trip to Newcastle which was fantastic just before Christmas.
“We want to go deep into the competition again. We want to make another memory. I don’t think I’ve been shy about making it known we want to be in every competition next year and that’s going to include a big performance on Sunday to try and get into that third round in two weeks’ time.
“It’s a competition that I enjoy playing in, it’s a competition that I’m really proud to lead the girls out in every year.
“The prize money at stake this year is also a massive driver. From the third round onwards I think it’s nearly doubled, so that’s another avenue that we’ve got to look at.
“We want to go deep into the competition to try and maximise our return with regards to prize money which will go a long way to helping us to create a more sustainable platform for the future.
“I’m really looking forward to it and hoping we can progress on Sunday.”
On the challenge of Peterborough
“Peterborough are going to be a really tough opposition. They’re mixing it at the top of their division so they’ll be tough and come with a game plan.
“We played them in pre-season and you could start to see some of the stuff trying to come out.
“We’ve managed to get hold of a lot of footage. We’ve had a few games watched by the staff, so we’ll fully prepare and we know what to expect from them.
“Ultimately, it will be about going out and the girls expressing themselves on Sunday, hopefully sticking to the game plan and making sure we get a positive outcome.”
On how the squad is shaping up
“We’re in a difficult place. We’ve got a fair few injuries. Summer Holmes has picked up a knock and H (Helen Dermody) has got her situation, Amber’s (Hughes) feeling it a bit after the weekend, Beth Roberts isn’t in a great place and Destiney (Toussaint) is still struggling too.
“We’re going to rely on the players within the squad who haven’t had as many minutes as they would’ve wanted over the last few months to step up and, ultimately, give me a headache going into the next league game.
“Everybody wants to be part of it in and around Telford. They love playing at home so hopefully we can have some players that stand out and really step up to the mark on Sunday.”
