Birmingham City’s manager has described Chatham as a team “ready for promotion” after Kent’s Women’s FA Cup tie ended in defeat.
Fourth-tier Chatham, the lowest-ranked team in the top 16, went to second-tier Birmingham, but the gap was too big and they lost 8-0.
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Birmingham head coach Amy Merricks said Chatham deserved credit for getting to this stage of the game, adding: “They’ve done really well and it’s not easy. We’re a mature, professional team. We train every day and they don’t.”
Chatham head coach Keith Boanas admitted his side could not compete with Birmingham “for three hours a week”, referring to their training time.
In January, Boanas, who won the title with Charlton in 2005, said reaching the fifth round felt “as good as when I won 20 years ago”.
An Instagram post from the FA Women’s National League and Chatham Town described it as “the end of a great journey”.
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Merricks, who is from Kent and has played alongside some of Chatham’s players, added: “I’m really pleased with the bonuses they’ve received from the FA Cup to enable them to sustain their future and get what they need to really get into the next league.”
She plays for Gillingham alongside Chatham player Amy Rath, who plays on Saturday and works as a PE teacher at Raynham Girls’ School.
Gillingham later defunded the women’s team and moved to Chatham in 2022, citing financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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