Cup action is back at The Bees Stadium this Sunday (2pm) as The London Bees hosts Crystal Palace Academy in the final group stage fixture of the FAWNL Cup.

 

London Bees:

 

Last Sunday saw the London Bees’ unbeaten league run come to an end after a tightly fought 2-1 defeat against Norwich City.

 

The match started at a high tempo, with both teams eager to take early control, with Norwich City threatened first from a corner, but their long-range effort sailed over the bar.

 

Shortly after Whitelock broke down the flank and delivered a pinpoint cross into the box, finding Brionne Fowle who headed home the ball, giving the Bees a deserved 1-0 lead.

 

Norwich responded quickly, after being awarded a penalty following a foul inside the box, Symonds calmly slotted the ball past Ginn into the bottom right corner to bring the game level.

 

Both sides continued to battle fiercely in midfield, but it was Norwich who edged ahead just before halftime.

 

Symonds again found space and struck a powerful shot that flew past Ginn, making it 2-1 to the visitors.

 

The Bees came out strong after the break, earning two free kicks in promising positions early in the second half, however neither opportunity was converted.

 

The match was briefly paused in the 90th minute due to a serious injury to a Norwich player but resumed shortly before the final whistle.

 

London Bees last five results:

 

London Bees 1-2 Norwich City

London Bees 0-0 Chatham Town

Hashtag United 2-2 London Bees (FAWNL League Cup)

MK Dons 0-4 London Bees

London Bees 8-2 AFC Sudbury

 

In the dugout:

 

Tim Abramyan pre-match thoughts can be viewed HERE!

 

Crystal Palace Academy:

 

This year’s FA Women’s National League Cup has introduced a fresh format and broadened participation to include youth academy sides.

 

London Bees have drawn the Crystal Palace Academy in Group I of the FA WNL Cup, alongside Dulwich Hamlet and Hashtag United.

 

In their two previous fixtures, Crystal Palace first travelled to Hashtag United, resulting in a 6-1 win to The Tags.

 

The Eagles second group stage fixture they visited Dulwich Hamlet, which ended in a 2-0 win for The Hamlets.

 

Palace are now sitting at the bottom of the group table on zero points, as we head into the last group stage fixture of the tournament.

 

Crystal Palace Academy results:

 

Dulwich Hamlet 2-0 Crystal Palace Academy (FAWNL League Cup)

Hashtag United 6-1 Crystal Palace Academy (FAWNL League Cup)

 

In the opposition dugout:

 

Crystal Palace Academy manager Lewis Criag will be in the dugout for the Eagles this Sunday.

 

Ones to watch:

 

Academy player Amy Moynihan scored the Eagles only goal on the competition so far, which was during their game against Hashtag United.

 

Last time these two sides met:

 

London Bees fell to a 4–1 defeat against a Crystal Palace side back on the 4th of October of 2020, in the FA Women’s Championship.

 

Palace struck early through Siobhan Wilson, putting the Eagles in front.

 

Despite some positive spells in possession, the Bees struggled to create clear chances, and Coral-Jade Haines doubled the visitors’ lead before the break.

 

In the second half, the Bees continued to push forward, but Palace extended their lead through Bianca Baptiste, before Haines added her second and the visitors’ fourth.

 

London Bees showed resilience late in the game and were rewarded with a consolation goal, but it was too little too late to mount a comeback.

 

Dan McKimm’s Bees will be aiming to finish their group stage campaign on a high as they currently sit third in the table, still in the running for a place in the next round.