The Adobe Women's FA Cup trophy paid a visit to Mancunian Unity FC ahead of their second round tie
The Adobe Women’s FA Cup trophy was a welcome visitor to Mancunian Unity’s final training session ahead of their second round proper tie with Handsworth Ladies.
Based in Greater Manchester, as their name suggests, Unity have home advantage at the Vestacare Stadium on Sunday (1.45pm GMT kick-off).
And the squad were given a boost ahead of the tie as the Cup joined them at training on Thursday evening, following their journey to this stage of the competition.
The Mancunian Unity squad in training this week ahead of their tie on Sunday
The club were founded in 2019, without a kit or a brand, but fast-forward five years and they are now three-time champions of the Greater Manchester Division and winners of the 2023-24 North West Regional North League.
This season’s FA Cup campaign has seen them pull off shock-after-shock to make it to the second round proper for the first time in the club's brief history.
In the first round qualifying stage, they beat the well-established Leeds United, who sit near the top of the table in the fourth tier, one division higher than them, with an impressive 3-1 scoreline.
The Adobe Women's FA Cup made the journey to Greater Manchester on Thursday
This set up a local derby in the first round proper against Stockport, who again compete one tier higher.
And Mancunian Unity pulled off an upset once again, thrashing their local rivals by 6-2 to earn a place in the hat for the second round for the first time.
They’ll now face Sheffield-based Handsworth, who play in the North East Regional Women’s Football League Division One South, hoping to seal a place in Monday’s third round draw when clubs from the Barclays Women’s Championship enter the competition.
