{"id":8720,"date":"2021-03-18T13:32:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T13:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nottinghamsport.com\/?p=8720"},"modified":"2021-03-18T13:32:12","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T13:32:12","slug":"forest-prepare-for-wolves-cup-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nottinghamsport.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/18\/forest-prepare-for-wolves-cup-clash\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Prepare For Wolves Cup Clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis cannot come soon enough. This is the start of another great opportunity with this team. A challenge that teams have never faced before. A platform similar to American playoff system. Proper tournament style football. We cannot wait.\u201d Forest manager, Andy Cook, ahead of a return to football for his, and a number of other clubs, on 4 April. <\/em><\/p>\n

After the announcement that the women\u2019s football season will be finished early for the second successive season, Nottingham Forest Women will still have at least one more game to play.<\/p>\n

With no more league football for tiers 3-6 of the football pyramid, much to the chagrin of those at those levels, a glimmering light arrives in the shape of the Vitality Women\u2019s FA Cup, which will see Forest travel across the Midlands, to the Black Country, and the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers.<\/p>\n

Curtailed with immediate effect and declared incomplete, clubs at tier three and below will now have to wait until the start of the 2021-22 campaign to taste league football again, and, with no promotion or relegation options, Forest can count themselves hard done-by for the second season in succession.<\/p>\n

Now they have to prepare for a winner-takes-all, cup match, and opposing three of their former in ex-Forest captain Kelly Darby, as well as Amy Dicken and Summer Holmes, in a match originally scheduled for late last year.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the upcoming Forest captain Lyndsey Harkin said: \u201cWolves were flying (before the latest lockdown) and were top of their league having won all their games.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that it\u2019ll be a tough game against them having played them back in pre-season and they gave us a really good game, which makes for what should be a cracking match.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having won six from six, their last match came in the FA Cup when they saw off visiting Stourbridge LFC, with ease, 3-0 in the FA Cup, goals coming from Morphet, Cross, and with five to go, Darby; Forest meanwhile had slipped to sixth in their league, registering four wins and two draws from nine outings, their last being a 2-1 reverse at home to West Bromwich Albion on 20 December.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to Wolves early next month, Forest manager, Andy Cook, said of the \u2018restart\u2019 for his side: \u201cWe are all really excited by the prospect of playing again.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo hear the news that we are playing in at least one competitive game is great.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe girls were all messaging me saying \u2018just let me know when I need to be back;\u2019 it\u2019s something we hoped would happen, and having that date finally here is great.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know it will be tough and we\u2019re not expecting a perfect performance with us only having had two sessions in which to prepare due to the lifting of lockdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we are non-professional, and none of the girls get paid, we are in the non-elite category and so cannot train; we do know though that we are anything but non-elite.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way we work and prepare is as good as WSL (Women\u2019s Super League) teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

There has been some issues mounting at the club over the past few months and, although Andy and the club won\u2019t look for excuses \u2013 injuries, departures and the like, they all play their part in the everyday running of a football club, at any level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest issue for me is we have about sixteen injuries, just small things but they do add up,\u201d continued Andy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis shows how much the girls have worked during lockdown to maintain levels, maybe too hard in some cases, so it\u2019s going to be very tough going to Wolves who were in form and will want to show their class against a team who are looking to gain promotion to the championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a big squad and we chose to make it twenty-five (Lucy Johnson going to America & Bex Rayner moving to Sheffield United left at Christmas) and are now at twenty-three.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe squad is brilliant, and we have some excellent footballers, what we do need though is that little extra; to block a shot, or cross, make a pass, or a bit of movement to open the spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get that and we will be very hard to beat; that\u2019s the question I\u2019ll pose to the girls at the first sessions back – who\u2019s ready to step up and play to win?\u201d<\/p>\n

What is a dead-cert however, is that not only are they itching to get back on the field of play, but they are well aware of what is at stake, wanting to finish what has been another tempered season, on a high.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just can\u2019t wait to get onto the pitch and throw some cones down,\u201d continued Andy.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet ready for lockout football; it\u2019s totally unique what we are about to do \u2013 win, we play next week, lose, and we\u2019re out.<\/p>\n

\u201cA total test of everything we have \u2013 ability, character, mind-set, focus, there\u2019s nothing better.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you can tell, I\u2019m like a caged animal, just get me back on a pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in pitting her wits against her former captain, Forest\u2019s Lyndsey Harkin added of Darby: \u201cShe\u2019s a tough defender and a good leader so it will be great to come up against her at Wolves.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019ll be organising that back line and they\u2019ll well be well up for the game, just like we will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nottingham Forest Women travel to the Black Country to face Wolverhampton Wanderers Women in the Vitality Women\u2019s FA Cup Second Round on Sunday 4 April, the winner of which will travel to that of Watford or MK Dons a week later.<\/p>\n

Forest\u2019s TEN YEAR Women\u2019s FA Cup Record <\/strong><\/p>\n