SSFC Women host Durham Cestria in County Cup Semi-Final tie

South Shields Women host Durham Cestria in the Semi-Final of the DCFA Women’s Challenge Cup on Sunday (2pm kick-off).

The Mariners are potentially two games away from lifting silverware this season but they will first have to navigate a strong Cestria side who play one division above them.

Shields breezed past Washington FC Women and Sunderland West End Ladies - both games at home - in the two previous rounds to get to this stage.

Meanwhile, Cestria were awarded a walkover win against Rutherford Ladies, then thrashed Spennymoor Town Ladies in the Quarter-Final to set up Sunday’s tie.

Last time out

Watch back the match highlights from our last outing - a 2-2 draw away to Ponteland United Women.

Alex Miller gave her post-match reaction: “It wasn’t our best performance and we were a bit disappointed on how that game unfolded but also, on the other hand, really proud of the way the lasses dug in, in the last few minutes and ground out a result in the end.

“They’re not an easy team to come up against so at the end of the day, a point is a point so we’ll take that and we’ve reflected on it and learned from it and taken that into the weekend, hopefully with some improvements.”

Alex and Ryan’s thoughts

First Team Co-Head Coach Alex Miller and Reserve Team Head Coach Ryan Young gave their previews ahead of Sunday’s action - watch the video above.

Tianna’s thoughts

Tianna Hill spoke to us in the lead-up to this weekend’s cup clash - here’s what she had to say.

Information for supporters

Kick-off at Ford Hub (SR4 0RW) is at 2pm this Sunday, February 15th.

While entry is free, supporters will need to register for a Leisure United account and scan the generated QR code to access the facilities on the day.

Follow our social media channels for updates throughout the game (@SSFCWomen on Twitter/X, @southshieldswomenfc on Instagram and @SSFCWomen on TikTok).

Reserve Team

The Reserve Team have an away trip to Stockton Town Reserves to look forward to.

Kick-off at MAP Group UK Stadium (TS19 0QD) is at 4pm this Sunday, February 15th.

Sam Curzon said: “I’m excited for this week, especially after last week got postponed!

“We’ve been putting in a ton of hard work at training to set things right, and I’m feeling really positive and fired up for Sunday.”