April 12, 2025
Cheltenham Town Women will be hoping for a golden end to the season when they take on AFC Bournemouth Women in the Women’s National League Plate final on Sunday (2pm kick-off).
To get to this stage, Cheltenham beat Boldmere St Michaels in the first round 4-1 with goals from Libby Bell, Connie Pengelly, Doris Greenwood and Emily Owen.
They then beat Wolves 2-1 at Kayte Lane thanks to goals from Maisy Collis and captain Owen.
A quarter-final win over Stockport was closely followed by an impressive 1-0 win over Southampton Academy, with top scorer Una Lue netting the only goal of the game.
It’s the first of two finals for the Robins to end the 2024/25 season as after taking on the Cherries at Oxford City FC’s MGroup Stadium this weekend, they face Bristol City U21s in the Gloucestershire County Cup final on Tuesday, April 15.
Since securing their WNL Southern Premier Division status with a 2-0 win over Lewes last time out, manager Tom Davies and the coaching staff have had an extra week of preparation for the club’s first final in three years.
On that occasion, it was in their WNL Division One South West title winning season of 2021/22, where they beat Almondsbury 3-0, to clinch the Gloucestershire County Cup.
Davies was pleased with the extra week in training, saying: “It’s been nice to load the players slightly differently on Tuesday and Thursday last week. A weekend off which is always nice, and time spent with families, time to relax and reset.
“It gives them time for their bodies to reset after a tough and long season. Tuesday’s session was phenomenal, probably one of the best we’ve had in terms of attitude and application.
“The players are in a good mood, it feels like we’re peaking at the right moment, so we feel ready and excited for what’s going to be a great game at the weekend.”
Standing between Cheltenham’s first silverware in three years is Steve Cuss’ Bournemouth side, who have just been promoted into the third tier for the first time ever, after an extraordinary unbeaten season that’s seen them win 20 games out of a possible 21.
The unbeaten league run of 47 games stretches all the way back to March 2023, which saw them remarkably miss out on promotion last season, after Exeter City won the league on goal difference after a 1-1 draw with the Cherries on the final day of the season.
For Bournemouth, their run to the final has seen an 8-0 win over Portishead, a 5-2 win over Worthing, a narrow 2-1 triumph over Cambridge, and in the semi-final, a great 3-2 win over Manchester United Academy.
Star players for Bournemouth include goalkeeper Erin Foley, who had a remarkable spell of 1,331 minutes without conceding a goal, and forwards Jenna Markham and Erin Bloomfield, who between them have scored 47 goals this campaign.
There’s been many standouts for Cheltenham too, including Una Lue who has 21 goals to her name so far this season, and Carys Pugh Jones whose penalty save against Southampton in the Semi-Finals sealed Cheltenham’s spot in the final.
The Robins will be looking for their historic season to continue, as along with reaching their first ever WNL Plate final, the side reached the fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup for the first time.
Davies was delighted with how the season had gone so far, and how he was looking forward to Sunday, as he said: “We’re excited to be in two finals, at a stage of the season which normally peters out, we’ve worked very hard to be in this position.
“This is a special group for many reasons, especially how they’ve bonded on the social side of it. We’re very happy that this group has the chance to make even more history on top of what they’ve already done.
“From a management point of view, it’s a nice occasion, and I get to share it with a great group of people. I’m excited for them, I know they’re excited, but they’re also focused, which is a nice balance to have,” Davies said.
The game is being played at Oxford City’s MGroup Stadium, OX3 0NQ.
Tickets are £5 for Adults and free for concessions and Under-16s.
