Every time we play at The Valley it is special for me especially being a Charlton fan, says skipper Kim Dixson

The Charlton Athletic women’s team will return to The Valley when they host Portsmouth in their SSE Women’s FA Cup second-round match on Sunday, January 8th (1pm).

Entry for the match will be £5 for adults and £2 for concessions and Charlton season ticket holders, free for accompanied U12s. All gate receipts will go to Charlton Athletic’s women’s team.

The women’s team last played a competitive game at The Valley last season in a 2-1 FA Women's Premier League South win against Queens Park Rangers. In 2015, they beat Cardiff City in an FA Women’s Premier League Cup semi-final match, which was their first competitive game in SE7 since they hosted Fulham in November 2003.

They have played Portsmouth twice at home this season already, running out 4-2 winners both times.

Riteesh Mishra, the first team coach of the women’s team, says the match will be a great chance to showcase women's football on a big stage.

"Most importantly, it is about the players having the opportunity to perform on a big stage and show everyone how good they are," he told www.cafc.co.uk.

"All I will be doing in the build up, is preparing the players to go out and perform to the levels that I know they can. Hopefully, this will bring a performance and result that the fans can be proud of."

Captain Kim Dixson, who's side currently sit fourth in FAWPL South, said: "Every time we play at The Valley it is special, for me especially being a Charlton fan. The first competitive game we had there against Cardiff in the League Cup stands out for me as a moment I will never forget."

On the match and the FA Cup itself, Dixson pointed out the importance of a good performance and another win against the south coast side, with FA Women's Super League 2 teams due in the hat for the third round.

She added: "The FA Cup is always good to go far in and test ourselves against a Super League team if we can, because that's where we want to be."

Charlton Athletic CEO Katrien Meire added: “It is a real honour for the club to host an SSE Women’s FA Cup match at The Valley. The Charlton Athletic women’s team have been in fine form this season and have some great players. We’re hoping we can get a big crowd at The Valley to cheer them on to the next round of the Cup.”

Tickets for the match will go on sale from 9am on Thursday, December 29th. They will be available to purchase in person, by calling 03330 14 44 44 or by going online at https://booking.cafc.co.uk/.

Visit Charlton Athletic’s website: www.cafc.co.uk