Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town will be looking to secure their place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup when they meet at The People’s Pension Stadium this afternoon.
The hosts reached the last-eight of the competition as recently as last season while The Terriers will be looking to qualify for the quarter-finals for first time in their history.
Albion’s league season came to an end last week as they secured a sixth-place finish in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League following a 3-1 home victory over Bristol City. Their last game in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup also saw them beat Bristol City at home, this time Albion won 1-0 thanks to a second half Inessa Kaagman penalty.
Seagulls manager Hope Powell has her own history with the competition, scoring twice for Fulham in a defeat in the 1989 final before winning the competition in 1991 and 1996 with Millwall Lionesses and Croydon respectively.
Huddersfield Town play their football in the FA Women’s National League North and are the sole representatives of the third tier in the fifth round.
The Terriers have not played league football since December following the decision to declare women’s football below the FA Women’s Championship null and void, although they found themselves top of their league by six points at the time the decision was made. Jordan Wimpenny’s side have had to win three games to reach this stage, they have seen-off Liverpool Feds, local rivals Brighouse Town, and Derby County in order to do so.
The West Yorkshire outfit have equalled their best-ever cup run in reaching the fifth round, something they first achieved in 2019 when they lost 8-1 away at West Ham United and they will be looking to continue to make history with a win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Vitality Women’s FA Cup fifth round tie between Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town kicks-off at midday and will be available for fans to stream live on Albion’s official YouTube channel.