If Maidenhead United Women’s Leah Robertson needed any inspiration for the Magpies FAWNL Cup tie against Chelsea’s talented Academy team on Sunday afternoon it would be for the Tottenham Hotspur fanatic to put one over the Stamford Bridge side.
Ruefully, winger Robertson admits: “Considering Spurs never beat Chelsea, it would fill me with pride to take points away from them!”
The eight-time WSL winners can unsurprisingly attract the very best of young talent, and Robertson admits prior to the York Road encounter (2pm, Sunday 27th October): “It will certainly be a challenge and it’s definitely one I’m very excited for. Chelsea is one of the most talented academies in the WSL so it will be a big test for us as a team. Going into an Academy is something I wish I had the opportunity to do when I was younger, so having the opportunity to play against one of the best is definitely an amazing feeling for me.”
Robertson and her team-mates come into this one on a high, knowing that victory can extend United’s campaign in the FA Women’s National League knock-out competitions this season. Last weekend the Magpies came from 2 goals down to win 3-2 in their Division 1 South West encounter at Torquay United.
Robertson spoke tongue-in-cheek when asked about her role in that win, coming on as a substitute at 2-1 down in the closing stages: “Yeah, the win was solely because of my appearance on the pitch; I must carry a lot of aura for the team, you know! No, in all seriousness though, I think us as subs knew what we had to bring when we came onto the pitch. I think us being 2-1 down wasn’t deserved, as I felt it was a close game with constant counter attacks from both sides and as a team we played very well. The impact of our subs brought the energy and the motivation to carry on the standard that the 11 started with; we brought attacking threat, which helped our strikers score two goals, but we also brought a defensive mindset to do what we had to do to manage that win in the dying minutes of the game. It was a true team performance.”
An opportunity to see the Magpies take on WSL stars of tomorrow is not to be missed. Admission for Sunday’s FAWNL Cup tie is £5 for adults and £2 concessions (Over 65, Disabled & Under 16s).
