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Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that his side cannot take Adobe Women’s FA Cup fourth round opponents Burnley lightly and that the club have a burning desire to regain the trophy.
The Red Devils went down 3-0 to Chelsea in last season’s final, a year on from the club winning their first-ever Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
When speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s fourth round tie against Burnley, Manchester United boss Skinner said that his side cannot underestimate Tier 3 opposition and that the focus has to be on regaining the silverware come the end of the season.
“We’ve got to three finals in three years in the FA Cup, so there’s a romantic feeling about it but we can’t take it lightly,” Skinner said. “Burnley are a couple divisions below but they’re an aggressive team and they want to be in the WSL. We have to take this game seriously.
“I want to see us build. There were parts from the Arsenal game where I want to see us improve. I want us to improve with the ball, be more aggressive with the ball. Defensively, we were excellent, so I want us to keep that. I want to get us back into rhythm and really hit it hard.
“We have to give it absolutely everything this weekend. I want to get back to another final and try and right the wrongs of last year, that’s the aim for these FA Cup games.”
Opponents Burnley are keen to break into the professional game and have added plenty of top flight experience to their squad in recent times. Skinner does not expect The Clarettes to come to The Leigh Sports Village simply to make up the numbers.
He said “Claudia [Walker] was at Birmingham, Mel [Lawley] has just left and as I went into Birmingham, she left for Man City. There are a few [that I know], Yana [Matthews] is another. They are high-level players that have gone in at Burnley and will increase the quality of their play.
“In their league, they’re a real threat. In most games, they’re aggressive, they’re probably the dominant team in every game. Hopefully, it’s slightly different for them this weekend but I don’t expect them to sit back.
“It’s the FA Cup and there may be tight moments but they’re going to attack us and try to win the game. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that.”
Reflecting on the growth of the women’s game, Skinner said that he believes that gaps are shortening throughout the tiers.
He said “It’s getting tighter. I’ve been in the women’s game more than 20 years and this is the tightest I’ve seen it. Clubs are signing [quality] players and that flows right through the tiers. I’m glad that it’s getting tighter and getting better and I’m excited for what that means for women’s football in the next 10 years.”
Manchester United’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup fourth round tie against Burnley kicks-off at 1pm on Sunday afternoon.
