Anna Morphet is hoping the character within the Wolves Women squad can carry them through Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Reading.
The Old Gold travel to the Championship side in the fourth round of the competition having progressed through three ties so far, scoring 19 goals in the process – the highest out of those remaining in the competition.
Morphet, who is wearing the armband in the absence of Helen Dermody, has spoken on the test ahead, her FA Cup memories and using the togetherness of the group to their advantage.
On Sunday’s game
“The FA Cup’s a great competition to be involved in. These are the kind of teams you want to be challenging against – teams in the league above.
“It’s a cup competition so anything can happen on the day. It’s a free hit for the girls and we’re really looking forward to it.”
On the test
“It will be a really tough test. They’re in the league above us and they’re going to be a really difficult team.
“In these competitions, you want a good test, you want different opposition to who you play week in week out. It’s something that we’re really looking forward to.”
On the run so far
“We’ve had some really good results in the cup and some really good performances. Some of the performances have led to a lot of different scorers from all over the pitch, so that’s a real positive.
“We might not get as many chances on the weekend but it’s good to try and build that momentum going forward.”
With 1️⃣9️⃣ goals scored so far, @WolvesWomen are the highest scoring team remaining in the #AdobeWomensFACup 👏
— Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) January 11, 2024
Will they get more in the fourth round this weekend? 👀 pic.twitter.com/dbsSOBKFzt
On the preparation
“In terms of preparation, it’s very similar. We’ll have a game plan and listen to the staff but, at the end of the day, it’s a cup competition and it’s got a little bit of a different special feel to it.
“It’s 90 minutes and anything can happen. We’ll give it everything.”
On FA Cup memories
“My mind always casts back to during lockdown and the league was null and void so we had everything to throw at the FA Cup.
“We beat Watford 4-1 away from home, we got to play Blackburn, we beat Forest who at the time were in the league above us – some really cherished memories and things I won’t forget.
“When we go into games as slight underdogs, we want to compete don’t get me wrong, but we will be underdogs. It gives us a bit of freedom to go out, express ourselves and play the best football that we can and compete with these top teams.”
On the threat of Reading
“They’re going to be a high level of football. Their fitness is going to be there, their speed of play, so we’ve really got to work hard to match that for the full game.
“We’ll always give everything. We’ve got a lot of heart in this team and I think hopefully that will give us a good result on the weekend, but we’ll see and we’ll give everything.”
On the characteristics of the group
“There’s a lot of character and we have a never-say-die attitude in this group. We don’t really know when we’re beat.
“That carries us through a lot of games and a lot of tough moments, so whatever happens on Sunday we’ll back ourselves to get something and compete.
“In the past, we’ve proved to ourselves that we can turn around tough positions. That will help us on Sunday.”
On the travelling fans
“It’s a long way to go and anybody there is massively appreciated. Support’s been fantastic all through the season but when you’re away from home and you’ve got the people who make the effort to travel, it’s hugely appreciated.
“It means so much to us all and the girls because we’re representing Wolves in all different cups and competitions. If they can get down that would be absolutely amazing.”
