Salut! commentary March 14, 2011

Arsenal at home in the semi-finals

Photo - from last season - courtesy of Sunderland Women's Football Club: click for full view

Who said Arsenal’s season was disintegrating?

Well, after the Carling Cup final defeat against Birmingham, a task too great at the Nou Camp and a 2-0 exit from the FA Cup at Old Trafford – not to mention finding Sunderland impossible to beat at the Emirates somewhere in between – quite a few have harboured such such thoughts.

And now, they may be in for another setback.

Arsenal Ladies have been drawn away to Sunderland in the 6th round of the FA Women’s Cup, our Lasses having beaten Lincoln City on Sunday to show yet again why they should by rights be playing in the same Super League to which they were scandalously denied entry.

It is a tough old draw for Sunderland Women’s FC; my own daughter Nathalie once played for them in a pre-season friendly and then had trials at Highbury but, good as she was (and is), found them in a different class, above all in terms of fitness. But at their best, Sunderland’s Lasses should have nothing to fear. Let them send Arsenal packing at Hetton on March 27.

The full draw:

Sunderland v Arsenal

Millwall Lionesses v Bristol Academy

Liverpool v Doncaster Rovers Belles

Barnet FC Ladies v West Ham United

* Still – 2.43pm – no mention that I can locate at safc.com of the Lasses’ superb achievement yesterday. When they got to the 2009 final and there was a similar silence, eventually broken by the appearance of a belated and inadequate report, I suggested that Niall Quinn would be furious if he knew. Can someone let him know it’s happened again? If it’s hidden away somewhere on the club site that I have been unable to locate, direct the fury my way and I’ll apologise.

Monsieur Salut

Tags: Arsenal, FA Women's Cup, Lincoln City, Sunderland Women's Football Club

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About salutsunderland

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Colin Randall, aka Monsieur Salut, is a Sunderland supporter from boyhood, a freelance journalist and the owner of the Salut! group of websites covering subjects from SAFC to France, travel, the media and current affairs. Pete Sixsmith taught in Ferryhill before opting for early retirement, knows football inside out and gets to most Sunderland games. Joan Dawson, formerly co-ordinator of Wear Down South, the newsletter of the London & SE branch of SAFC Supporters' Association, frequently acts as stand-in editor. Her brother, Malcolm, former chairman and still information officer of the Heart of England SAFCSA branch, is now deputy editor.