Matt Beard says his West Ham United team need to be 100 per cent focused on the difficult test Huddersfield Town Ladies will pose this Sunday if they are to reach the quarter-finals of the SSE Women's FA Cup.
The Hammers will welcome the Terriers to Rush Green Stadium on Sunday in the fifth round of the prestigious competition, with the winners set to go into the last eight.
Although the home side will be favourites in Sunday's match, sitting two leagues above Huddersfield, Beard knows West Ham's opponents will be looking to claim another scalp in the FA Cup, and says his team will need to play at their very best to win the game.
No doubt, it will be a tough game, but as long as we play in the way we know we can, then I have every confidence we can get the result.
Matt Beard
"Full credit to Huddersfield Town. They showed a lot of heart in coming back from three goals down against Charlton last weekend, and they earned their place in the fifth round," Beard told whufc.com.
"We know they will be a tricky opponent come Sunday. The difficulty we will have is that they have nothing to lose, and they will look to bring the game to us. In a lot of ways, it will be a similar match to our last fixture in the FA Cup, against Blackburn Rovers.
"No doubt, it will be a tough game, but as long as we play in the way we know we can, then I have every confidence we can get the result."
With a place in the final - and a trip to Wembley Stadium - just three wins away for the Irons, Beard acknowledged that a run in the SSE Women's FA Cup would be incredible for his squad.
However, the head coach insisted that his team cannot afford to look past Sunday's game.
He continued: "It would be great for us to progress. If you look at the FA Cup, it’s a trip to Wembley if you get to the final. We can’t look beyond this tie in Huddersfield though. We have to do the job. Whatever the draw brings beyond that, we will prepare for it. But first, we have to win this weekend."
Tickets are priced at just £5 adults and £1 under-16 for this Sunday's FA Cup match! What’s more, with no men’s team game this weekend, if you’re an adult Season Ticket Holder, you can get in for only £2.
Tickets are available on the gate at Sunday's game! Join us at Rush Green Stadium this weekend!
