Durham captain Sarah Wilson says that the club are always confident of causing an upset against Manchester United.
The Wildcats travel to the Leigh Sports Village to renew their rivalry with The Red Devils on Sunday as they contest a Vitality Women’s FA Cup fifth round tie.
Durham have already beaten Manchester United on penalty kicks in this season’s FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup and they have lost just one of their five meetings with The Red Devils over the last four-and-a-half years.
When speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s clash, captain Wilson said that Durham go into the game with no fear and lots of belief.
“We always fancy our chances against them,” Wilson said. “We’ve obviously got a good record against some of the bigger teams and it just shows that when you come up against some of these top teams, you can really push and test yourself.
“We don’t doubt that it is a huge game, it is going to be a massive test, but we need to try and focus on ourselves and just go for it.”
Many will see Durham as Manchester United’s bogey team but Wilson stopped short of placing that tag on her side’s shoulders.
She said “I wouldn’t go as far as suggesting that we are their bogey team, but we have had some fantastic results and there have been some great occasions. Their team is changing all of the time, it is growing bigger and bigger.
“We are really excited for the game, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling us their bogey team, we’ve just had some great results against them in the past.”
Wilson missed the penalty shootout victory over Manchester United earlier this season through injury. She had to watch on from the sidelines as Durham wrote a new chapter to their history. The player is pleased to be fit and available for selection this weekend.
“I’m desperate to get into a position to be selected,” Wilson said. “To not be involved last time absolutely killed me, the whole night was unbelievable. Getting amongst the celebrations at the end was special as you’re still part of the team, but it feels just that little bit different.
“It’s nice to be involved in the build-up and looking towards the weekend. Fingers crossed, it is going to be a fantastic occasion for everyone.”
Durham’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup fifth round tie at Manchester United kicks-off at 12pm on Sunday afternoon.
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