Dons welcome Championship side Birmingham City to Stadium MK this weekend in an Historic cup tie for the home team as they look to win the Adobe Women’s FA Cup 3rd Round.
After beating lesser oppositions in the previous rounds in Worcestershire and Cambridge United respectively, the Dons will now be viewed as the underdogs vs a very strong Championship side in Birmingham City who sit 5th in the Championship. Birmingham are on a fine run of form winning the last 5 in a row, and boasting the best form guide across the whole Women’s Championship.
So, will the Dons be able to cause an upset and stop the might of Birmingham City?
Birmingham are not short of quality in key positions, and have a number of seasoned international players in their line-up.
Lucy Quinn has already represented Ireland 5 times already this calendar year and was on the scoresheet and provided and assist in a 6-1-win vs Northern Ireland just last week.
Alongside her fellow teammates Jamie Finn & Lily Agg who also got a run out last week vs Northern Ireland. Lilly herself is immortalise in Irish folklore by scoring the goal that helped secure Ireland place in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Choe Yu-ri has played over 50 times for South Korea but has yet to score this season for Birmingham. With her international pedigree and her hunger for goals, the Dons defence could be in for a hard day at the office. As she looked to re find her goalscoring touch.
But a test that I have no doubt the squad will be fully relishing in. This is what the FA Cup is all about. The underdog story, and as we know every Don has its day, and this weekend it could be the Dons Day.
This game itself will be Birmingham’s first game in the Adobe FA Cup. Last year Birmingham made it all the way to the Quarter Final stage and were knocked out by Brighton. Once again Birmingham will be looking to go on from last year and make it to the Semi Finals and maybe even further.
What can the Dons do to win?
It’s no argument that Birmingham will be heavy favourites going into this game, and the pressure will be on the side to get a comprehensive and professional result over the National League South side. But as we know pressure can always play a big part in this situation, and many players act differently in pressure situations. Some will rise to the occasion, and some will struggle and will become overwhelmed by the situation, and the Dons players will need to pick their moments and apply pressure to any players that start to show the signs of stress.
Winning the mental battle will play a big part in this game. Without being too disrespectful towards the Dons and the coaching staff, but this game becomes more of a free hit and an occasion that should be enjoyed rather than feared. The Dons should look at this fixture with a great sense of accomplishment and positivity and a chance to prove themselves.
Charlie Bill side is a young and exuberant side with qualities of their own. Lucy Wood, who
once played for WSL Side Leicester has the skills to be playing at a higher level, her dribbling and creativity has played a massive role for the Dons. With the recent run of form of scoring in her last 2 games. Lucy is once again finding that confidence that saw her almost unstoppable at the start of last season before her injury.
Gemma Biggadike and Rhianne Rush have been vital in the Dons midfield this season. Rush herself has been exceptional this season and has emerged as a fantastic box to box central midfielder. Looking at how she has played this year, you would only imagine her running stats to be the highest of any Dons player this season, Rush is the main powerhouse in Charlie Bills midfield. As for Biggadike her experience and leadership of playing at the higher level has also helped Rush grow as a player. Both players have a great understanding between each other and trust each other. They know that one can either press forward or can drop back depending on the game situations creating a strong axis, and also an instinctual partnership between both players as they link up in the middle of the park.
Zoe Creaney has massively caught our eye so far this season. After coming up from Tier 4 from Solihull Moors. Zoe has taken to Tier 3 like a duck to water. Her defensive aptitude with Sofia has helped to create a strong defence line. Her addition has added extra quality to Dons defensive line this season. Plus, Zoe has scored a few important goals this season, most notably was her goal vs Rugby that helped the Dons record back-to-back victories over the top 2 sides in the league.
Zoe will have an even bigger reason wanting to win this game, after playing for Solihull Moors who are less than just a stone’s throw away from St Andrews. Both sides are local rivals, and the Dons defender would love to beat the blues, and ahead of this weekend we spoke to Zoe and got her thoughts on this weekend’s fixture.
It’s a big achievement to get this far in the FA Cup and I believe we have the biggest challenge of the draw. This is the toughest opposition I will have ever faced, and I am excited about the challenge. As I am local it always adds extra drive to do well, we need to make sure we are at our best on the day.
My favourite memory would be the previous season where we also got to the third round as a tier four team, we had the prospect of playing Aston Villa had we have won.
It would be my greatest achievement in football to date getting into the next round. It would be incredible for the club as a whole and we have prepared as much as we can to progress
Match Information –
Milton Keynes Dons Women v Birmingham City
Adobe Women’s FA Cup 3rd Round
Stadium MK, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK1 1ST, UK
Kick Off 15:00
Match Officials
Match Referee – Joanne Horwood
Assistant Referees – Oğuz Kağan Işik / Wyndham Trusler
Fourth Official – Emma Chamberlain
Tickets
– Adults £5 U21 £3.00 for more information and to book, please click the link. For Tickets Click Here
Live Commentary – CW Sports Radio from 14:45 pm (GMT) – For more information please visit www.cwsportradio.com.
Podcast: Game On ! MK DONS FC WOMEN Podcast | Podcast on Spotify or Via – Anchor.fm/mkdonsfcwomen (New Episodes every Friday)
Images: Christopher Foxwell – For more information please visit www.ctfphotography.co.uk
Match Day Programme –
https://www.mkdons.com/siteassets/image/women/programme/001_md-prog_birmingham-city_2023_a5_v2.pdf
