West Ham Women’s manager Rehanne Skinner discussed her love of the FA Cup this week with her side set to get their cup campaign underway tonight as they welcome Liverpool to the Chigwell Construction Stadium. 

The winner of tonight’s fourth round FA Cup tie will face Rugby Borough Women on Sunday the 9th of February. Rehanne Skinner’s side will go into the Liverpool match riding on a high after their recent 2-0 WSL win over Everton just days after beating Tottenham to secure their place in the Subway Women’s League Cup semi finals.

Similar to her side’s success in the League Cup this season, manager Rehanne Skinner is hopeful that her side can also enjoy a good run in the FA Cup as she discussed the importance of the competition within English football and acknowledged its rich history.

“The FA Cup is such an important stalwart in English football club culture. Everyone always wants to go on a cup run.” said the Hammers boss, adding: “We’ve explained about the competition to the players who are from abroad, because everyone’s got their own version of competitions that stand out in their country.”

Focusing on the meeting with Liverpool and making a positive start to their FA Cup campaign, Skinner said: “The league is huge for us, but this is an opportunity to hit the ground running in the FA Cup. We want to make sure we give a good account of ourselves and try to go on a cup run, and to add to the improvements made over the course of the season as well.”

After reaching the semi finals of the League Cup and securing a WSL win over Everton, the Hammers have some great momentum behind them at present. With only a point separating them from Liverpool in the league, Rehanne Skinner’s side has every reason to go into tonight’s tie without fear and full of belief.

They can use their confidence to their advantage, believing they have what is required to get past Liverpool, progress to the next round, and start their FA Cup campaign as they mean to go on.