Manchester United Women’s manager Marc Skinner was thrilled to progress in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup with a 2-0 victory over Bridgwater United Women.
Skinner lauded the impact of the competition on the future of women’s football and praised his squad's performance after the match in Somerset.
He said: “It was something we had to win, because we want to progress and want to be successful in cups.
“We did our job; we were professional, and we’ve come through to the next round.”
Despite the victory, the United manager feels that the match against Bridgwater held more significance for women’s football.
He said: “We all know about the romantic moments in the men’s FA Cup, but it is now time for the women’s cup to have those experiences.
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Bridgwater United Women currently play in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division, two leagues below United, and Skinner praised the impact Women’s Super League teams have when they travel to clubs from lower divisions.
“We want to help teams grow,”
he said. “One of the beautiful things when I first came to [Manchester United] was that we wanted to expand the scope of women’s football.
“We wanted to use our wonderful club’s history to expand the beauty of our game and I think we have done that today.
“I love this game; I love the women’s game and I can’t wait to see its growth.”
The United manager handed Karna Solskjaer, daughter of Reds’ legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, her debut in the second half of the match.
The Norwegian joined the action for the final five minutes, and Skinner felt that the youngster deserved the opportunity.
He said: “We know how important the Solskjaer family are to this club, [but] today was about Karna; it is all about Karna and the energy she showed.”
“Our club is built in the heritage and history of bringing our own through. I want to continue that with a very delicate balance.
“Congratulations to the Solskjaer family, but more importantly to Karna herself.”
Skinner’s side overcame difficult conditions in Somerset to progress in the next round, and he was quick to applaud the way his squad overcome the challenge and got the job done.
“[The pitch] sapped all of the energy out of your legs, you couldn’t tell where the ball was going. We were absolutely professional today, and we did the job we needed to progress. Full credit to the players.”
TICKETS FOR OLD TRAFFORD
The first United Women's match to be played in front of fans at Old Trafford is due to kick off at 12:00 BST on Sunday 27 March*, against Everton. For more details, or to book your seats now for this historic game, visit our dedicated tickets page.
*Fixture date is subject to broadcast selection changes.