Bristol Academy beat Lincoln Ladies 2-0 at Ashton Gate to earn a second chance to overturn Arsenal in an FA Women’s Cup Final.
The two met at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena in 2011 and the Gunners triumphed 2-0 but this Vixens squad is made of sterner stuff now, with a killer edge up front (and the sense of humour to match). Lowri Williams (Match Promotion and Events Manager) smartly bullied the ‘Spanish House’ to reveal more about their team mates than you ever knew (or wanted to know!)…
Meet the Vixens:
1. Siobhan Chamberlain
Sio and Leigh Moore will be the first couple to get married via Social Media. The girl is ALWAYS on Twitter and a few players now have Twitterphobia because she keeps telling us off!
2. Loren Dykes
A Louis Thomlinson lookalike, she’s just lacking the voice.
3. Corinne ‘Captain’ Yorston
Oh what a player. Have you heard her new chant? ‘Corinne, Corinne, she’s always in the gym, that’s Corinne, that’s Corinne.’ She lives and breathes for squats and a good workout.
4. Jasmine Matthews
Jaz owns shares in L’Oreal, she’s spent so much trying to cover up her ginger roots.
19. Jemma Rose
Our tough girl at the back, and in the off season she competes in World’s Strongest Woman. She has a mole on her leg called Maureen?!
5. Grace McCatty:
There aren’t enough hours in the day for Grace. She has a full time job, is completing an Masters, has just passed her UEFA B licence, coaches Bath Uni Women’s Football Team, Coaches the COE U15’s at BAWFC, leads a church youth group ‘OneGen’, is a proactive volunteer and oh yes, she kicks a ball about every now and again! Phewww did anyone catch all of that?
16. Angharad James (Mid)
Can anyone pronounce her name? Our wannabe WAG, her idol is Katie Price. Off the field AJ enjoys; fake tanning, grooming and stalking Swansea City FC players.
37. Lucy Staniforth (Mid/For)
The youngest in the ‘Spanish House,’ has yet to empty the bins in the Vixens’ den. Del Rio says, ‘She is the puppy dog of the team, and has yet to learn many things,’ like when to be quiet! SSSHHHHH!!!
9. Anne-Marie Heatherson
Annie is the mother of the ‘Spanish House’. She has to organise Del Rio, Nata and Staniforth and make sure they are on time and dressed for player appearances. The FOOD QUEEN, she gets the girls’ discount for their weekly Dominos. She recently bought a dog, without telling her housemates and Del Rio is NOT a fan of Dogs. Especially dogs who eat carpets, sofas and glasses for lunch!
13. Laura Del Rio
This girl is Unstoppable. Have you seen her trot past defenders for fun? But poor old Del Rio isn’t as young as she used to be, she says that Aaron (Club Physio) is her best friend and has him on speed dial.
7. Natalia Sanchon
Nata is the funniest girl in the club… but only Del Rio can understand. She promises that when she has ‘mastered English they will see how funny I am HA HA HA’! Until then we have no idea what she’s saying and by the time Del Rio translates …the joke’s definitely gone. She now has her own chant ‘We all love our Spanish superstar, our Spanish Superstar, our Spanish super star’ (to ‘Yellow Submarine’).
15. Nikki Watts
The girl with five colours in her hair, and she supports a club no one’s ever heard of: SWINDON?!? Currently dating a ghost. We’ve never seen him but we’ve heard all about him.
11. Ellie Curson
It’s a myth at the club that Ellie Curson has no ears! Have you ever seen them? The only girl in the FA WSL who plays with her locks in her face.
8. Alex Windell
Plays with a smile on her face, Windy is just a big kid!
23. Georgia Evans
Jack Wilshire lookalike and baby of the team. We think she still uses a child booster seat and nappies through the night.
22. Ellie Leek
Likes to think she’s a lot like Peter Crouch, yes she’s tall but she certainly can’t dance. Her role model is Corinne, and she spends all her free time in the gym, hoping one day she will have arms as big as her idol.
17. Lauren Haynes
Has had more minutes in hospital than on the pitch this season, in the words of Reserves manager Lee Rendell, ‘She’ll run through a brick wall for her team.’ Alongside playing football and being injured, Lozer studies BTEC at SGS College although she’s only just learnt her alphabet.
18. Rachel Highnett
Everyone’s favourite ginger! A proud Welsh woman, she’s also made a few appearances as the PA announcer at th Stoke Gifford Stadium…when we’re desperate!
21. Rhian Cleverly
Another young gun, still carrying around her baby fat, but adamant there’s a six pack underneath. The first FA WSL player to also be a member of ‘Weight Watchers’.
Manager Mark Sampson
Following our FA Women’s Cup semi-final success, once the girls had left Mark Sampson and his assistant Dan Tanhai decided to make the most of Ashton Gates facilities and enjoy a relaxing bath together. As they hopped into the tub, the BAWFC pensioners (Lee Rendell and Mark Humphrey) stole their clothes, leaving them to drive home in only a towel! Sampson has recently been compared to Paulo Di Canio following a larger than life goal celebration…. He also shares the same receding hair line.
Aaron (Physio)
Ahead of every live game Aaron will get his hair cut, a clean shave and a quick bicep pump ahead of the warm up. All for the ladies, eh Aaron?! He spends more time in front of the mirror than AJ. He also loves a good physio room gossip and is getting all of the juicy stories at the moment as Annie is currently injured and visiting him daily!
As appeared in Issue 14 of She Kicks Magazine, available to buy HERE.
Photos: The FA via Getty Images
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