Gwalia United begin their Women’s FA Cup campaign this Sunday when they welcome AFC Stoneham to the USW Sport Park for a third round qualifying tie. Kick-off is at 2pm.
Gwalia secured a place in the FA Women’s National League Plate First Round last Sunday thanks to a nail-biting 4-3 win at Worcester City. Attention now turns to a place in the Women’s FA Cup First Round, and standing in the way are Southern Region Women’s Football League Division One South side AFC Stoneham.
The Hampshire based visitors reached this stage with a 3-1 home victory over Havant & Waterlooville, with Scarlet Darnton scoring twice and Rosina Folkes also on target. In the earlier qualifying rounds they beat Bursledon 4-1 and Liphook United 4-0.
Stoneham Women were formed in 2019 and won promotion to the Southern Region Women’s Football League in 2021/22. They suffered their first defeat of the season last Sunday, when AFC Varsity won 2-1 in Division One South.
Speaking ahead of the game, Gwalia manager Cori Williams-Mills said, “The FA Cup means something everywhere in the world. It is one of the great competitions in football and we are relishing the chance to see where the journey takes us.
“As the only Welsh team in this prestigious competition, we want to do ourselves and the club proud while flying the flag for Welsh women’s football.”
Gwalia will aim to continue an encouraging start to the season and will relish the chance of a Cup run. Last season their interest ended in the second round, following a 2-0 defeat away to fellow Southern Premier League side Plymouth Argyle.
A win over Stoneham on Sunday would put Gwalia into the hat for the First Round proper, where a place among the senior sides in the national draw is the reward for those who come through the qualifying rounds.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first time the two clubs have met in a competitive fixture.
Match Officials
The match officials are yet to be confirmed.
Getting Here
If you are coming to the USW Sport Park for the very first time, make sure you read our Visiting Fans Guide for all the information you need to plan your day.
Tickets
Tickets for the game are priced at £6 for adults, £3 for over-65s and £2 for under-16s, and are available via the Gwalia United ticketing website.
Match Day Programme
Have a read of our free digital match day programme for the game. It is packed with team news, player features, match reports and everything else you need to know.
