Stoke City Women set up 'biggest match in club's history' as red hot streak continues
Stoke City Women are in the FA Women's National League Cup final thanks to a superb 3-0 win at Plymouth Argyle.
An own goal plus second-half strikes from Shannon Stamps and Tamara Wilcock secured a 13th win in 15 games for Marie Hourihan's free-scoring side and a showdown with Nottingham Forest for the trophy on the weekend of March 22-23.
It is only the second time that Stoke have reached this final, in a competition for the 72 clubs in the National League north and south plus four regional Division One leagues. The previous time was cancelled due to lockdown in the spring of 2020 when they were due to take on Sunderland, making this arguably the biggest game in the club's history.
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Head coach Hourihan said in an interview for the club website: “I am delighted for the players, the staff and everyone at the club. It is a fantastic day, we’re proud to be only the second team in the women’s team’s history to reach this final.
“All the hard work we have put in in the background has culminated in today, which is a fantastic way to top it all off.
“We have to keep going, keep winning and hopefully the stars align. All we can do is keep winning our matches.”
Stoke, who made the decision to turn semi-pro last year, are currently fifth in National League North, level on points with fourth-placed Rugby Borough and two behind third-placed Burnley but Forest and Wolves are extending a gap in the top two.
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