The Charlton women’s team are raring to get their first FA Women’s Championship season underway when they welcome Aston Villa to The Oakwood on Wednesday evening (7.45pm).
The Addicks have had a break of three and a half weeks between this match and their previous one, a 4-2 FA Women’s Continental League Cup derby win against Millwall Lionesses.
And attacker Charlotte Gurr, whilst expecting a tough test against an established tier-two side, can’t wait to show the Charlton supporters what her team can offer, stepping up after winning promotion.
“We are all very excited to start our Championship campaign,” Gurr said. “We want to make sure we start well with this home game in front of what will hopefully be a big crowd.
“Preparation has gone well and training has been really tough. There have been a lot of new faces this season, but the squad is really bonding together now.
“Injured players have got back to fitness and there is a lot of competition for places in the starting line up now, and that can only help to raise our performance on the pitch.”
After four years of mid-table finishes, Villa are a team in transition after finishing second from bottom in the FA Women’s Super League 2 last term.
After three losses to begin the current campaign, including a 12-0 reverse against the only full-time professional side in the division, Manchester United, they bounced back to winning ways last weekend with a 1-0 victory over Leicester City.
And Gurr expects a difficult night under the lights in Crayford, as the midlands team look to secure back-to-back wins. However, she thinks Charlton’s quality can shine through come the end of 90 minutes.
She said: “They are going to be a very tough opposition, physically strong and very hard to break down. They will be difficult to beat, but we have the players to get a result and we are very much looking forward to the challenge.”
Tickets for the women's team match will be on sale from The Oakwood, priced at £6 adults and £2 concessions.