AFC Fylde Women turn their focus back to the league on Sunday with the visit of Nottingham Forest Women to Kellamergh Park.

This home fixture against the Reds takes place on Sunday 4th February, with kick-off at 2.00 pm.

Last weekend, Fylde bowed out of the FA Women’s National League Cup with a 4-1 loss to Newcastle United Women at the quarter-final stage.

After progressing through three earlier rounds, Fylde finally came undone against Becky Langley’s high-flying Newcastle United in a hard-fought encounter at Kellamergh Park.

Having opened the scoring through Sasha Rowe’s wonder strike, the Coasters remained firmly in the contest for large spells, but the Magpies eventually asserted control in the second half to seal the victory and advance to the semi-final of the competition.

Despite the defeat, Fylde’s Joint Managers Jake Williams and Steve Mainwaring could take plenty of positives from their team’s spirited performance against strong opposition.

The Coasters are now preparing for a tough test against Nottingham Forest Women, who currently occupy second place in the FAWNL Northern Premier Division.

Carly Davies’ Reds have made a flawless start to 2024 with four straight wins in all competitions. That included a dramatic 2-1 win away to Newcastle United a fortnight ago, followed by a 2-1 home victory over Burnley Women last weekend.

When the two sides last met in September, Mai Moncaster scored a brace to put Forest in the early ascendancy, but Fylde halved the deficit when Ginny Lackey capitalised on a defensive error and slotted home. Forest then restored their two-goal cushion when Chloe Dixon rounded off a solo run with a neat finish. In the second half, Fylde were unable to add to their own tally as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at Grange Park.

It is safe to say that the Coasters will be fully focused on the task at hand when they meet the Reds for the return fixture this Sunday afternoon.

Words by Scott Jones