Crawley Wasps ready for Sussex final against Brighton

Wasps play three levels below the Seagulls, but they meet on a level playing field this week, at the Sussex FA’s headquarters at Lancing (7.15pm kick-off).

It is a repeat of last year’s final, which Wasps lost 5-1, but with an influx of new talent and a much-improved league position, Davies believes the underdogs could have a chance.

She said: “We played very well last year. Everyone worked very hard, pressed very well and defended very well.

“Hopefully we can be a bit more attacking and maybe surprise some people.

“If they’re going to put out a lot of Super League players that’s obviously going to make it a lot more difficult for us, but we’ve always got a chance if it’s going to be the reserve team or the youngsters.”

Manager Paul Walker is hoping his side will relish the occasion.

He said: “It is the biggest ladies cup in Sussex and the Sussex FA do a fantastic job on making it feel special.

“We’ve got a stronger squad this year, and we’ve had an extremely good season so I’m hoping we can be really competitive.”

Captain Hannah Duncan added: “We’ve got to go out with a positive mindset, we can’t look at it as damage limitation.

“We’ve played some fantastic football and playing against a team of Brighton’s quality and experience will force us to raise our game.”