West Women get their season underway this weekend with a trip to Crewe Alexandra in the Women’s FA Cup, and new manager Nathan Soulby couldn’t be more excited.

Unbeaten in pre-season and coming off the back of a thrilling 5-4 win over Salford City last week, Nathan and his side are excited for the long season ahead, which begins in the competition’s Extra Preliminary Round.

Nathan said: “The players are ready and raring to go with competitive football; I think that was evident last weekend. The tempo and desire were levels above what we’d seen in previous weeks, and I believe that shows a real readiness tactically and mentally.”

After leading the Women’s Development side for the last couple of seasons, Nathan stepped up to lead the First Team this summer and is encouraged by what he’s seen.

He said: “Pre-season has been great and the team has really taken our ideas on board. We go to Crewe unbeaten, and against some challenging opposition also, so it’s hard not to be pleased with that.”

On a personal level, Nathan will also be realising a dream this weekend too. He added: “It’s an absolute dream of mine to lead the team into the FA Cup, it’s one of the moments I’ve been looking forward to most since stepping up to the First Team this season.

“Crewe will be a test, that’s for sure. They’re a good young side who we’ll also come up against in the league and it’ll be a good indicator of where we’re at currently and what work we still need to do.”

Crewe Alexandra Women vs West Women, Sunday 6^th September, 2pm KO

Cumberland Arena (CW1 2BD)