Charlton Athletic have been drawn away from home to Women’s Super League team Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the SSE Women’s FA Cup.
The tie will be played on Sunday, March 18th and Addicks manager Riteesh Mishra said he felt an “overwhelming sense of pride” for his players and staff to make it this far.
The Addicks are the only Women’s Premier League team in the last eight and are now set for a very tough away tie against full-timers Arsenal after beating Cardiff City 3-1 yesterday.
Speaking immediately following this morning’s draw Mishra said: “I think everyone in the draw would have wanted to pick us out of the hat being the lowest seed. l would have really wanted a home tie so we could have got a crowd at Thamesmead and also it would have helped the club financially but to be honest we’ve got one of the biggest clubs in women’s football so it’s going to be a massive occasion for us.
“I think it’s a proud moment for the football club itself. We are the lowest tiered side (remaining in the SSE Women’s FA Cup). I think a lot of it is down to the hard work our staff have put in but mainly the amount of work and application of our players. It shows that the players that we’ve got are good enough to compete at a higher level and we’re trying to get there through winning the league this year.”
The Addicks currently sit second in the Women’s Premier League South table, one point behind C&K Basildon Ladies with a game in hand.
Arsenal currently sit third in the Women’s Super League 1 table and Mishra knows what to expect. He said: “They are full of internationals. The biggest difference between our level and them is that they are full time. They are full time athletes. I think that you will see that physically they are more dominant than us, technically advanced. They’ve got players that can hurt you in all areas. We’ve got time to digest it and think of a game plan that can hurt them. It’s going to be an occasion that we’ve got to try and enjoy and play football as well.
“We’ll look to get as many Charlton fans down as possible, so if any fans are about it would be great to have them down to support the team.
“It’s an overwhelming sense of pride from myself and the staff for all the players who have been with the club for a number of years and the new ones that have come in. The players deserve most of the credit and I’m excited that we’ve got a chance to play against a team like Arsenal.”