Women’s FA Cup final: Katie McCabe focus turns to ‘dream’ Wembley occasion

Arsenal's Katie McCabe. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Republic of Ireland skipper Katie McCabe approaches Sunday’s 50th Women’s FA Cup Final full of confidence after Arsenal’s flying start to the season and two player of the match performances over the international break.

“It’s a cup final, what you dream of playing in, especially playing for Arsenal, you’ve got that responsibility to make sure we are competing for trophies season after season,” McCabe said.

“For us to be in a cup final so early on in the year — I know it’s last season’s final — is important to us. That’s the responsibility on your shoulders when you wear the Arsenal shirt.

“Everyone is looking forward to it. It should be a brilliant day. It’s Wembley, I think there are 40,000 tickets sold, so it should be a nice occasion.

“I have confidence at the minute, I am enjoying where I am at, I want to keep pushing and bettering myself, bettering the players around me as a team so we can go places, while also remaining humble about that, enjoy these wins but enjoy the next one again.”

Emma Hayes, boss of Arsenal’s opponents Chelsea, hopes the final proves to be a celebration of women’s football but feels the scheduling could have been better.

The Wembley clash is the conclusion of the 2020-21 competition delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sunday will mark exactly 100 years since the FA imposed a ban on women’s football that lasted half a century.

It comes after an international break and is followed by Chelsea hosting Juventus in the Champions League next Wednesday and then playing Reading away in the Women’s Super League three days later.

“It’s mental,” Hayes complained. “I understand the FA want to fit it on an important weekend. I totally get it.

“But, getting back to our welfare, we’ve got three games in six days, on the back of them coming back from an international break. I think you could have done that better.

“But it’s here. I don’t want the focus to be on that. It needs to be on what the women’s game is about. We need to promote it, celebrate it and acknowledge everyone around it, past and present.”