Chatham Town Women face AFC Wimbledon Women at the Bauvill on Sunday lunchtime for a place in the Third Round of the Women’s FA Cup, with new coach Keith Boanas calling on his new charges to win through to the next round. 

Boanas led Charlton Athletic to win the competition in 2005 at Upton Park in front of just over eight and a half thousand fans, winning around £5,000.

This season, with the prize money doubled, a place in Round Three would see the club playing for prize money more than six times what the coach won eighteen years ago – when Chelsea recorded their third successive win in the competition, nearly seventy-seven and a half thousand packed into Wembley highlighting just how far the Women’s game has come – a fact not lost on the Chats coach… 

“It’s a big game for the Club,” he told KSN. “If we win Sunday, the prize money will be terrific. The financial reward for winning the last round was more than we won by winning it in 2005, but win or lose, we have won some serious prize money and that without a shadow of a doubt helps a Club like ours.”

“And that is another message the players will be given – it is not just about playing to get through the game and the round, it’s playing for the Club; that prize money is invaluable, so we are fighting for that and the game itself.” 

“In recent history (between the two sides), Wimbledon have come out on top in the last two games to my knowledge – not necessarily on the run of play, but things have happened in the game that have cost the team.”

“The players are aware of that and they are up for the game and if they want “revenge” and put right what’s gone on before.”

“We know that they are leading the division below and know a lot of their players, but player for player, if we play up to the levels that I believe we can, we haven’t anything to fear, but it will be a tough, tough game.” 

The Chats trailed in the previous round at Haywards Heath before scoring three late goals to win 4-2 to move into Sunday’s tie.

“It was a bit like the game against Ebbsfleet last week,” the coach said. “That shows character to come from behind at any point and the girls have shown that.”

“I think the games that I saw before I came in when they went behind, there was the thought that they went behind, they were not going to come back into the game – you could see it!”

“The body language and everything else was “here we go again!” but now at least they believe that they can come back into it, and we’ve got the players who can!” 

“What I don’t want,” Boanas continued with a grimace, “is to go behind again and come back!” 

“The aim on Sunday is not to concede. I pride myself on defensive work as it is what I was stronger at and good at as a player and as a coach I take a real umbrage if we concede, and I want to know why and how it happened.”

“I never blame just the keeper,” he continued, “being married to an ex-England keeper, I can’t do things like that!” Mrs Boanas is former Charlton keeper Pauline Cope. 

Looking to his potential squad, Boanas told us, “the three girls (Natalie Taylor, Kiera Hynes and Phoebe Leitch) who missed last week because they were on holiday will be back in contention which will make it really tough – our new right back Tyra Poole will be available – and Mel Espinosa might be available after injury, so it looks like me having a tough choice to name a side!” 

The coach called for the backing of fans for Sunday’s big game to which the Club have confirmed FREE entry for children and just £5 entry for adults.

“The women’s game at this level still needs that sort of support and going into a game like this we need the fans backing us – we cannot just rely in FA funding; we have to get people through the gate and help them towards that.”

“Of course, the aim is to win the game on Sunday, as it is any game – even when I was manager of Estonia and we played England twice…” 

Kick off at The Bauvill is at 1.00pm on Sunday lunchtime with the tie played to a finish…