Coventry City Ladies have announced a 2009 pre-season fixture list that kicks off with a mouth-watering repeat of last season's County Cup final. Aston Villa wound up 2-0 winners in the match played at Tamworth FC having dominated the game for large portions.
The Sky Blues were far from disgraced though as they showed plenty of grit and determination against their Premier League opponents. The 28th of July fixture, which will be played at the Moathouse in Wood End (19:15 kick off), will prove as a great indicator for both clubs as they look to see how far they've progressed over the summer months.
Next up for Coventry is another local rival, a short trip to Blaby on Thursday the sixth of August will see the Sky Blues tackle Villa's Premier League North rivals the Leicester City Women. The Lady Foxes won promotion from the Midland Women's Combination in 2008 with a 1-0 win over Coventry on the final day of the season edging the Sky Blues for top spot with the victory. The two met again last season when Leicester eliminated the Sky Blues from the FA Cup courtesy of a hotly contested 3-1 home win.
Just three days later City will host Luton Town at the Alan Higgs Centre before Manager Paul Cudby welcomes his former club Birmingham Athletic. Cudby admits that the match will be a significant one for him "I'm looking forward to this fixture a great deal, I've got a lot of respect for the people and players involved with the club, they gave me my first opportunity within women's football and I'll always be grateful for that.
They're a good footballing side, the core of the team have played together for quite a few years and I'm expecting a competitive game. They've shown in the County Cup recently that they can play against opposition from a higher level, twice coming close to an upset of Wolves".
The Sky Blues round out their schedule with a visit to Stratford Town on the 23rd of August. The two teams met in the County Cup last season with Coventry dominating their lower league opponents, winning 10-1. A Cherelle Archibald hat-trick stole the show whilst Helen Dermody and Nicole Tinto grabbed two each as the Sky Blues coasted to victory.
July 28th - Aston Villa (H) 7.15pm ko (at Moathouse)
August 6th - Leicester City Women (A) 7.15pm ko
August 9th - Luton Town (H) 2pm ko (at Alan Higgs)
August 16th - Birmingham Athletic (H) 2pm ko (at Alan Higgs)
August 23rd - Stratford Town (A) 2pm ko