Andy Spence has urged his Everton side to harness the excitement of FA Women’s Cup Final day.
The Toffees will take on 12-time winners Arsenal at stadium:mk, home to Mk Dons, on Sunday, while their U17 team face Merseyside rivals Liverpool in The FA Girls’ Youth Cup Final earlier in the day.
And Spence wants his players to enjoy the occasion.
Arsenal v Everton
The FA Women's Cup
The Final
4.30pm, Sunday 1 June 2014
stadium:mk, MK Dons FC
Live on BBC Two
He said: “The FA Cup Final is the showpiece event for the women’s game. It takes on more importance than an FA WSL game because there is silverware at stake and you have to embrace that. You have to use that excitement to help produce a top performance.
“We have players who have experienced a number of Finals in the past, like Rachel Brown-Finnis and Jody Handley, but we have got a young squad so we have got a number of players who will be playing in their first Final.
“Excitement and nerves are all positive things if you channel them in the right way.
“Getting to an FA Women’s Cup Final is a magnificent achievement in its own right, but once you get to a Final you want to come away with the trophy and that is our ambition.”
Everton are currently second bottom in The FA WSL – Arsenal are bottom – with only two points from their opening four matches.
But they have excelled in this competition, beating Cardiff City, reigning FA WSL champions Liverpool and an improving Notts County side en route to Sunday’s showpiece.
Spence is hopeful his charges can produce one more notable performance to pick up a trophy Everton last won in 2010, when they defeated Arsenal in The Final.
He added: “We have had some big games already in this competition so the girls have already showed they are ready to meet the challenge.
“If anything, we have really thrived on the big-game atmosphere. I’m confident that we’ll put on another terrific display.
“It will be a fantastic day for the whole club with our U17s being in their own Final as well.
“It is a unique occasion to have this double-header on the same day and at the same venue, but for the same club to have teams in each Final is even more remarkable.
“It is a day everyone at Everton Football Club should rightly be proud of.”
Tickets for the double-header are currently priced at £6 for adults and £3 for concessions while a family ticket is available at £15. Ticket prices will increase on the day of the game to £10 for adults and £5 for concessions and a family ticket will increase by £5.
Call 01908 622900 to purchase or buy online
