Buckland Ladies face Watford in FA Cup

Buckland Athletic ladies have the biggest game in their short but successful history when they travel to Watford for the second round proper of the Women’s FA Cup tomorrow afternoon.

It will be a tough game for the Women’s Premier League Division One South West team – but one manager Grant Fisher and his team are hugely excited about.

Watford were demoted last season to the FA Women’s National League – tier three in the pyramid – following the restructuring of women’s football in England.

The side boasts a plethora of women’s football stars, including Wales international and former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Helen Ward, so it promises to be a huge challenge for Buckland – but one which they will relish.

Fisher said: “Buckland versus Watford in the FA Cup sounds really unusual and a little surreal – but the players have earned this.

“It’s the biggest game we have had since we formed three years ago. It’s certainly the biggest gap between clubs in the second round, too – but that won’t faze us.

“If we beat them it would be one of the biggest upsets in the FA Cup, and while we will go there and enjoy it, we are going to give it everything.

“It will be an uphill battle, you only have to look at the budgets. They have one and we don’t!”

Buckland’s players – with an average age of 22 – will travel to London today, and train on Tottenham Hotspur’s ladies’ training pitch.

Fisher said: “We will prepare in the best possible way. We will train the day before the game, and we will go there with a game plan.

“If get beat playing the way we like to play then so be it – but we will do our own thing and go for it.”