Match Previews

Women's Preview | Wigan Athletic V Wanderers

18th January 2025

Bolton Wanderers Women head into a highly anticipated County Cup quarter-final this Sunday as they travel to face Wigan Athletic.

After an impressive 9-1 victory over Fleetwood Town last weekend, Wanderers will be eager to continue their push for silverware as they return to cup action.

The team has been in excellent form, maintaining their spot at the top of the league with a nine-point lead over Penrith.

However, manager Myles Smith knows the challenge that lies ahead in the cup, especially after a series of tough fixtures.

"We’ve had adversity the last 3 or 4 or 5 games," Smith said. "We’ve faced tough opposition and difficult conditions, but the girls keep coming through it. Really proud of them for that."

Bolton will need to bring that same resilience into the quarter-final against Wigan, a team Smith acknowledges will be a tough opponent. “They’re a good team, they need to be respected, they are well-organised, and they have a lot of young players with a lot of energy,” Smith noted.

“There’s no denying it’s a big fixture. When those fixtures come out, you’re looking at when you’re playing Wigan,” Smith continued.

“We’ve got a lot of players in this team that know what it means to this football club to play Wigan, and to hopefully get a result.”

For Bolton, every competition is an opportunity to bring silverware to the club and its fans. “We want to win every game we play; we want to win every cup we play,” Smith said.

“Every competition that we are in is an opportunity to bring silverware for the fans and this group of players. We take every competition seriously, and we go out there to win football matches—that’s what the players want to do, and what fans want to see.”

With a strong mentality and the focus firmly on the task ahead, Bolton will look to take the next step in their cup journey. Smith concluded, “Really looking forward to the game, it will be a really interesting game to play.”