Dan McNamara admits the excitement is beginning to build inside the Wolves Women camp ahead of arguably the biggest game in the team’s history this weekend as they take on Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup.
Having reached the fifth round stage for the second season in succession – as one of only two third tier sides left in the competition – Wolves set themselves up with a tie against the holders, which will be played in front of a sold-out SEAH Stadium in Telford on Saturday evening.
And after welcoming the national media - as well as the Adobe Women's FA Cup trophy - into Compton Park to watch training and interview the players this week, McNamara insists he has been urging his players to embrace the match with everything possible so not to have any regrets following the full-time whistle.
On the excitement building ahead of Saturday
“I've tried to keep a lid on it for the last few weeks. Everyone knows we’re doing really well in the league this year, so we've had three important league fixtures since the draw, but it's been tough.
“Obviously, with the magnitude of the game and all the logistics around it, and the amount of people that have shown an interest in coming, we've had to include the girls in certain elements, but I've been trying to park it.
“But once Sunday was out the way, we had another positive result against Rugby, I said to the girls, ‘Now we’ve got to relax. We’ve got six, seven days where we can really enjoy it, really embrace the opportunity, and don't let it pass you by. Don’t wake up on Sunday morning and think, ‘God, I wish I could’ve done that’. Embrace everything you do, act as professional as you always do, and really challenge yourself against one of the biggest brands in world football.’
“Now the excitement’s starting to come out – I'm trying to work out whether it is excitement or nervousness with regards to myself, but I'm sure the girls will enjoy it.”
On playing in front of a sold out SEAH Stadium
“Thanks to the hierarchy for listening to the girls and giving them the opportunity to speak in regards to what they wanted. There was a lot of talk of Molineux, and we love playing at Molineux, and the showcase game there is amazing every year, but walking out to a half empty stadium is tough, it's daunting, and it would have played into Manchester United’s hands.
“They play in the big stadiums more than we do, so when I found out it was going to be played at Telford I was absolutely buzzing. Then when we saw the ticket sales online – upwards of 5,000 now – it's incredible.
“I watched the Tamworth versus Spurs game recently and I think the atmosphere they generated, you think what kind of atmosphere could we walk out to on Saturday evening? I'm sure it's going to be incredible.
“I’m really pleased the local fans have got behind us over the last few years since we've been at Telford, and they get the opportunity to be part of it again in our home stadium, but it'll be an unbelievable feeling when we walk out.”
On reaching the fifth round for the second year in a row
“People have said it was the luck of the draw, but you don't do it two years running just from being lucky. The girls deserve it with their work ethic, the way they represent themselves, their families, this football club, this city – they deserve to be part of big games like this, and to do it two years running is phenomenal.
“Sometimes I think we forget the monetary value of this competition, it’s now upwards of £120,000 again this season, so it's unbelievable with regards to the money that can be earned against what our budget is, so that's why it's important that we do focus on these competitions and give them our all.
“It's been a brilliant couple of years – it's been a brilliant seven years, and I marked my seven-year anniversary last Monday, so it's been an unbelievable journey. We were hosting Man United seven years ago when I first came in – but it was their under-19s, so to be doing it against their senior women seven years later is quite surreal, but we've got to enjoy it.”
Hosting the @AdobeWFACup holders.
— Wolves Women FC (@WolvesWomen) February 5, 2025
🏆🔜 pic.twitter.com/T7wwVxqw6q
On having the national media at training
“It's all part of it. We've always talked about memories – you're in sport for memories. I've said it since I first came to the club, and this is all part of it. The young girls in the group, your Anias [Denham], your Amelias [Hiscox], your Maddie Calders, they're getting the opportunity to be part of something they never have been before.
“Even some of the more senior girls, they won't have had this intense sort of media session before a training session before, but for me, it puts them in good stead going forward. There are some girls within the group who still want to be professional footballers, so this is part of it when you get to big games. This is part of the build-up.
“Again, it's about enjoying it and taking something from it and learning from the experience. We'll take some of the experiences from Brighton last year and try to apply them on Sunday, but mainly, I want them to enjoy it as much as they can.”
