Wolves Women column: Wolves raring to go in derby clash after frustrating postponements

Hello all. It’s take two for us this weekend with our Black Country derby against West Brom, after it was initially called off following its postponement due to Storm Goretti. 

It is, of course, great to have the chance to write again in this issue of the Express & Star.

With the Burnley game called off in early January, followed by this one, it has been a frustrating start to the year for us. With all the girls eager to get back on the pitch, I know so many of them were itching for this fixture, and we’re pleased that, all being well, we’ll finally get it underway this Sunday. 

Of course, it’s not just a derby match but also a cup quarter-final. The FA WNL Cup is a competition that has eluded us in the past, and we make no bones about the fact that we want to win it this year. 

To do that, however, we must first get past an old rival we’ve done battle with many times in recent years. 

You always get an extra ounce of passion and determination in games like this, and I think we saw that in the league meeting just before Christmas, when we ran out 3–0 winners.

We don’t go into Sunday’s game unprepared, having finally got our year underway last weekend in the Birmingham Challenge Cup. We beat a young Birmingham City PGA side 8–0 at their training ground, and it was great to see Jade Cross and Racheal Quigley on the scoresheet alongside Charlotte Greengrass and Amber Hughes. 

That meant all of our forward players found the net – certainly no bad thing – while Chloe Williams added another from midfield.

We now know the prize on offer for victory over West Brom. If we do ensure that the Black Country remains ours, we will face either AFC Bournemouth or Swindon in the FA WNL Cup semi-final at home the following Sunday. Both sides will pose different threats, but we can’t afford to think about that just yet – our focus must be firmly on reaching that stage first.

It has been almost two months since we last played at home, and no doubt you, the supporters, are missing it as much as we are. So I implore you to get down to Telford on Sunday and back these girls, who I know will give everything in a local derby.

Finally, I’m sure some of you will have seen that Tammi George returned to the club last week after transferring from WSL 2 side Sheffield United. 

Tammi is Wolves through and through and someone I regard as one of the very best players to have played at tier three level. When the opportunity arose to bring her back, we made sure it could happen, as I know she will be a huge asset to the squad and add something extra as we work towards our goals this season. Welcome back, Tammi.

See you on Sunday at the SEAH Stadium,

Macca.