Brantham Athletic 'buzzing' for cup tie
BRANTHAM Athletic are ‘buzzing’ ahead of their MH Goals Suffolk Women’s Cup Semi-Final.
They take on Stowupland Falcons for a place in the final on Friday evening under the floodlights at Humber Doucy Lane, home of Ipswich Wanderers FC, kick-off 7.45pm.
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Brantham, like their opponents, have never reached the final of the competition before, and manager Danny Claxton said even reaching the last four was a sign of the club’s progress.
He said: “It means everything to the club and everyone involved! It shows progression in women’s football at this level in the Suffolk and at Brantham.
“We’ve been working hard to improve and it’s great we’ve reached this round.”
Claxton is not concerned about facing fellow Suffolk Girls’ & Women’s Football League Premiership side Stowupland in the semi-finals.
He said: “I think it’s an advantage compared to the other two teams left in the competition (AFC Sudbury and Needham Market) we could have faced but, as your aware, anything can happen on the day.
“We’ve only played Stowupland once this season and it was a very competitive game which we only won 1-0, so both teams have a good chance to reach the final.”
He said the tie had caught the imagination of people in the club.
He explained: “The club is buzzing! We have asked all the age groups from Wildcats up to the U15s if they’d like to be our mascots for the evening which they’ve accepted and are looking forward to the evening!
“The chairman, Roger Peck, has had Brantham flags made to help boost support for the team on the night!
“I’m unsure if the village even knows what we have achieved, the publicity at this level isn’t the best but hopefully this is the start of something for our club and we can continue this momentum into the future.”
Claxton said he will be telling his players to stick to their game plan ahead of the match.
“Preparation is key, we’ve had good training and analysis of our previous matches to help give us the edge. We need to focus on our game and play to our strengths.
“Stowupland are a young, energetic side with growing talent. We have tremendous experience and talent with strategic match plans so stick to the game plan and the result will come,” he said.
He outlined what it would mean to the club to reach their first Suffolk Women’s Cup Final.
“The club wants to have an Eastern Region team and Women’s Academy in the near future, so to reach the final would put us in a good spotlight for all aspiring players in the region. It’s just the next step in the club’s plans…so no pressure!”
Brantham will be without injured duo Megan Stock and Sophie Crabtree, while Elle Robus-Miller is expecting her first child.
