Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Anna Morphet didn’t expect to get another chance to lead her team out live on television quite so soon.
Her side got the broadcast showcase in the last round of the Women’s FA Cup as they defeated Stoke City – and now they host WSL2 outfit Nottingham Forest on Saturday lunchtime in round three.
“It was a bit surreal,” she said of the TV slot in round two, speaking to SheKicks.net. “During the game, there’s maybe a little bit of nerves, particularly when we kicked off from the start.
“But once you’re in the game and you focus on the game, you start to forget about what’s going on. It’s only really after the game when you see the highlights and you see the broadcast and what it was like that you think, ‘Wow, that was quite something special.’
“So it’s a really nice occasion to be part of.”
Anna Morphet: A lot has changed this year
Forest – like Stoke – are long-term rivals for Wolves, so the match is an obvious pick for the broadcaster.
“We must have represented ourselves quite well [last time],” says Morphet. “[It was] quite a surprise because you think that’s kind of your moment for the season – but really good to get good feedback as a group.
“We always want to represent this club as best we can and professionally on and off the pitch. Obviously, I know we took a few pictures and they [the TV cameras] caught us doing that, and we enjoyed ourselves because we’re human beings. At the end of the day, you don’t know how many opportunities you’re going to get in football to be part of these type of occasions!”
And she is looking forward to renewing hostilities with Forest – who were promoted from the third tier last season.
“There’s always an edge – always looking forward to it,” she said – but then quickly looked back at their previous meeting in the cup, back in 2021, when then-fourth-tier Wolves won on penalties. “A lot has changed since that last time we beat them in the FA Cup – at Forest and at Wolves.
“We’ll definitely go into it with maybe a little bit something extra because rivalry always makes things a bit more interesting and adds a bit more to the game.”
