SHOTS ACROSS THE VALLEY – Can Swindon cause an FA Cup upset against Charlton?

Tier 4 Swindon Town are on a 21-game winning streak. They have a 100% record in Division One South West so far this season and although they’re currently lying second in the league, they have three games in hand. They now play their home league games at the main stadium – Nigel Eady County Ground – and average over 400 fans per game (one of the highest in Tier 4). With a maximum of 10 wins from 10 matches, The Robins are on fire. 

Much of their fire power comes from captain Annie Colston who has scored 13 league goals so far this season. Colston is something of a legend at Swindon Town having reached the magical milestone of 100 goals for her club. Her league tally alone is impressive this season, but she’s also scored three hat-tricks in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup – the first in the third qualifying round before the Cup proper, and then in Round 2 against Oxford City and Round 3 against Leafield Athletic. The third was all the more remarkable because Swindon were trailing Leafield 2-0 at half-time, before Colston’s finishing turned it around: the winner came in the 94th-minute. 

That ‘never-say-die’ attitude is part of Swindon Town’s make-up. It’ll be very useful when they face WSL2’s Charlton Athletic at The Valley in the Fourth Round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup this Sunday.

Clare McEwen chatted with manager Richard Wood and star striker Annie Colston ahead of their biggest match of the season so far.

Manager Richard Wood is realistic about Swindon’s chances, but knows his team can cause Charlton problems.

The Fourth Round of  the FA Cup is pretty special. How excited are you and the team to test yourselves against a WSL2 team?

It’s a huge challenge.

We’re obviously not naïve to the difficulty and the size of that challenge. Everything from now on is a bonus within the competition.

Reaching the Fourth Round is a great achievement, it’s completely different to our league campaign. We’ll be staying overnight on Saturday night and that’ll help with camaraderie and togetherness and it’s about having the strategy and a game plan to see if we can be a Macclesfield. (who knocked Crystal Palace out of the men’s FA Cup last weekend).

You’re having an amazing season, you’re one of the most in-form sides in the country right now. Does that give a big enough sense of invincibility, a bit more confidence, to cause an upset?

Oh no. No, we got to where we are by being worried every week, if that makes sense. Making sure we don’t get complacent, that it could come to an end, that you could lose those things.

You need something that is going to draw you towards something, you need a positive motivation, but you also need that little bit of fear behind you, so being pushed and pulled, really.

What we know as a group is that when it comes down to it, we’re a good together group and a challenge of this ilk, I’m hoping that whatever the result, we come out of it a better side.

You’re not going to get to play your way like you do in the league. How do you prepare the players for what is going to be a different type of game?

We’ve had a couple of situations of going down to 10 players and even to nine, once. Off the back of that, we’ve had to learn and adapt and feel more comfortable being in that situation knowing that we can frustrate teams and that we can be compact and hard to break down. So the preparation is making that enjoyable.

It’s different but it’s about making sure that everybody understands the game plan. It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be frustrating at times, but also, we shouldn’t be underestimated.

Are you treating this as the prize for all your hard work or are you going into it thinking you can progress?

I think you have to do both.

If we’re going into the tie thinking there’s nothing we can achieve then we may as well not bother.

I want the players to enjoy it, we should enjoy the experience. It’ll be great learning for everybody to see their level.

I’ve watched WSL2 and the ball speed, intensity and physicality is really, really high. It’s a good marker for us and, outside of that, the preparation for the run in for our campaign as well.

We can only look at it as positive, to test ourselves at a high level. I don’t think we’re going into it just thinking, oh, well, this is the prize, it’s both. It is the prize and it’s an opportunity. 

I’ve been reflecting on when we played Oxford City (First Round of the FA Cup proper), a team lower down than us, and we were completely dominant within the game but it was still only two nil with 15 minutes to go. There were a couple of moments that they had, and all of a sudden your team gets nervous. The FA Cup’s different to a league game.

Regardless of the result, what are you hoping to get out of the game?

I think the most important thing is pride. That we come out and we’re proud of the whole run within the FA Cup. The opportunity we’ve got in front of us.

I’m sure there are lots of teams that think they’re going to giant kill, but if the FA Cup’s about anything, it’s about dreaming, isn’t it? We have to have that positive mindset that we can create some problems for them.

We’re a good National League side, I think we’re a team that could compete in Tier 3, so success would be to come away from it with Charlton respecting us, whatever the result.

How does a match like this feed into the wider ambitions of the club?

It gives us a window into where we’d like to get to eventually. A full-time environment, WSL2, is very different to what we operate as. But ultimately that’s the ambition of the owner is to get us, long term, into those kinds of situations.

We have the facilities at the club to be able to support and accommodate that so it gives everybody, from behind the scenes to the players, a measure of the level. 

How do you define your team? What’s your DNA?

Number one is that they’ll fight for each other and be supportive of each other.

The second is we’re pretty adaptable. We want to be unpredictable. We can play with one forward, two forwards, we can leave three up, we can be exciting but also pragmatic. I want the players to be able to play what the opposition shows them.

It’s not that we’re affected by the opposition but that we know if they’re going to press us we’ll clip over them and if they’re going to have a high line we’d be direct. We’re not too proud to play in the way that’s going to be effective.

Finally, what would you want someone watching Swindon for the first time to notice about the team?

That we’ve got some really exciting players. We have players within our team that could play at a higher level so we can do some exciting things, score good goals. I think we’re pretty entertaining to watch.

Captain and top goalscorer, Annie Colston would love to keep her goalscoring record going at The Valley and thinks her team’s togetherness could help continue the magical journey they’ve been on this season.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you to play Charlton at The Valley?

I’m really, really excited. I think the opportunity is amazing to be a part of. Yeah, I’d say 10. I can’t wait for Sunday.

You’re in clinical form in front of goal, hat tricks in the last two rounds, 31 goals this season, joined the 100 Club for Swindon, recently. Are you looking forward to testing yourself against a WSL2 defence?

Yeah, of course, I think it’s going to be about moments on Sunday.

We know we’re going to have to work hard off the ball, out of possession, but no doubt we’ll get some moments where, hopefully, I’ll be in front of goal and I can be as clinical as I have been.

I’m excited for that. This season I’ve gained a lot of confidence so I’m excited to test myself against their defence. They’re going to be physical and strong and fast but it’ll be a good marker to see where I’m at.

Charlton are obviously the favourites, are you okay with the narrative that Swindon has nothing to lose? Is that helpful?

I’ve seen it before in previous cup games where we’ve played teams in the league above. Previously we haven’t beaten them but now we’ve gone into that mindset of feeling confident from the run we’re on.

Also knowing that the pressure’s on them, it’s theirs to lose. Everyone loves an underdog, don’t they? I don’t mind it at all.

Has the preparation been any different this week?

We’re gonna go into training tonight [Tuesday] and I think it’ll be a bit different. A lot of it’s going to be based on out-of-possession shape, compactness. But I think we’ve got to keep the normal routine too, so we’re not only focused on out-of-possession because we’re going to have some of the ball as well.

It’ll be a little bit different but nothing major.

How would a performance you’re proud of look like at the weekend?

One thing about this team is everybody works hard for each other and I think as long as we’re showing that to ourselves and to each other, to the fans and management, I think that’s a performance we can be proud of.

Every single person that starts and finishes the game can put their hands up and say I’ve given everything, 100%. I’ve tried my best, done all I can, and you can’t argue with that.

We’ll all be proud of each other, no matter the result. We’ll see what happens on Sunday.

How would you describe your team?

It’s probably the most special team I’ve been in, during my whole career so far. The togetherness with the girls is something I’ve never experienced before. How well people get on, on and off the pitch, the closeness of the group, how we have each other’s backs. It’s a really special group and amazing to be a part of.

When you walk out at The Valley, what’s the last thing you’re saying in the huddle?

I sign off all my huddles the same way. “We’re here to have fun, enjoy what you’re doing. Be positive. Love you all.” And that’s pretty much it. We know we’re not full time, we’re here to have fun and the only way we can really do that is by supporting each other. That’s the way I sign off all my huddles.

Every FA Cup season has big upsets. Why should people believe it could be Swindon this weekend?

I think the season we’re having, it’s been pretty magical so far. For the fans that come along and watch on Sunday, they’ll see the sense of belief and confidence that we have as a team. And why not Swindon? Why not? We’re doing all right so far. I see no doubt that it can’t be us on Sunday. So bring it on.

Photos: Lewis Moran, Swindon Town.