Rehanne previews Arsenal FA Cup quarter-final

Spurs Women progressed to the quarter-finals of last season’s Women’s FA Cup with a win against Sheffield United back in May. The competition resumes on Wednesday evening and we travel to Meadow Park for a clash with Arsenal to reach the last four of the competition.

Fans can watch all the action from the north London derby live on BBC Four, kick-off 7.15pm. We caught up with Head Coach Rehanne Skinner ahead of the game to get her pre-match thoughts…

Three games, nine points and four goals so far this season. Did our Head Coach think that was good preparation heading into a cup tie?

“And two clean sheets! Yes absolutely, it’s been really positive for us. We’re coming together as a team and every game we play you are starting to see different aspects of that coming to fruition on the pitch. As a collective, we are in a really good place in terms of what we are trying to achieve as a team and our identity that everyone is getting on board with and it’s making it easier for people to play with confidence within their role and what they are expected to do, and we are going into games with belief and confidence that we can get a result.”

Does the momentum from a strong start in the league help going into a tough game against Arsenal in the FA Cup?

“We have got to go into every game at the moment with the belief in what we have set out to achieve which helps to keep momentum going. As long as we stick to our jobs and give it absolutely everything we can, that’s all anyone can ask for. The players know that and it’s enabling them to play with freedom and confidence in their own game. Everyone has each other’s backs and belief in each other. That’s the target and I’m confident that we will get results from playing that way.”

Arsenal are currently top of the WSL and also unbeaten in the league. What does Rehanne make of the chance to test ourselves against the league’s best?

“It’s another opportunity to develop and grow as a team. We have learned a lot about us and where we are as a team from our first three games, and we will take those into the game against Arsenal. We have to stay in the game and do our jobs diligently. Arsenal are a difficult team in terms of attacking structure and style and they have a lot of variation to their game. We will need to be flexible and solve problems throughout the game and utilise the ball better than we did against Manchester City. The game will help us to build on what we have started to build in the league and grow as a team moving forward. It’s the FA Cup, there’s no pressure on us and if we stick to our game plan and do our jobs, you never know.”

The FA Cup provided us with some of our standout moments last season including the memorable extra-time victory away at Reading. Does Rehanne enjoy being part of the competition?

“The FA Cup is historic. Everyone gets behind it because the stories and results it produces are unlike any other competition. In the men’s game, you see big teams coming up against smaller teams who are leagues below them who produce incredible performances on the day. It’s one game, 11 v 11, anything can happen. The competition itself has always given you surprises, that's what makes it as exciting as it is. For us, we had an opportunity to progress last season to where we are now, and you never know what can happen. Who wouldn’t want to go on a good cup run and play a final at Wembley?”

Watch our FA Cup quarter-final tie at Arsenal live on BBC Four from 7pm on Wednesday (29 September), kick-off at Meadow Park is scheduled for 7.15pm.