{"id":532,"date":"2025-05-23T15:47:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T14:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/?p=532"},"modified":"2025-05-29T15:29:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:29:32","slug":"giant-killing-mastering-the-dark-arts-how-handsworth-ladies-and-gary-jepson-achieved-their-fa-cup-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/2025\/05\/23\/giant-killing-mastering-the-dark-arts-how-handsworth-ladies-and-gary-jepson-achieved-their-fa-cup-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant killing &amp; mastering the dark arts &#8211; How Handsworth Ladies and Gary Jepson achieved their FA Cup dream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" data-src=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2025\/05\/hhhhhhhhh-e1748012680183-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-612 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2025\/05\/hhhhhhhhh-e1748012680183-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2025\/05\/hhhhhhhhh-e1748012680183-480x270.jpg 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/577;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reaching the FA Cup First Round is every grassroots club\u2019s dream. It only happens once every blue moon, and will forever overshadow any silverware, county and league cups. Not only did Handsworth achieve this, but a mix of dark arts, a raucous crowd, and tight family ties saw the Ambers do the unthinkable\u2026win an FA Cup First Round game.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Handsworth Ladies, a club on the outskirts of Sheffield, had put so much into the women\u2019s game, but were yet to taste their own bit of success. Little did they know, they would make their name known in the FA Cup, going on a club record-breaking run to reach the First Round proper, dispatching Brunsmeer Athletic in the most dramatic circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a Brunsmeer attack, Handsworth looked to counter in the 91st minute through darting winger Abby Watkinson, who drove down the right flank, slid it into the mixer for Holly Mappin, found Dani Pinder lurking inside the box, and the captain fired it in. 3-2, the referee sounded three whistles, two short and one drawn out; Handsworth had achieved a club first, reaching the FA Cup First Round proper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Celebrations drew long into the night, but they knew preparations would have to start instantly for the biggest day in the history of the football club. Awaiting the Ambers in round one\u2026National League outfit York City, a tie that Handsworth Ladies boss Gary Jepson revelled in, partly because the Ambers had one advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/2025\/05\/29\/the-international-stars-of-south-yorkshire-womens-football\/\">The international stars of South Yorkshire women\u2019s football<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are underway here in the FA cup \ud83d\udcaa come on you Ambers!! \ud83e\udde1\ud83d\udda4 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RrkeXqNJ8g\">pic.twitter.com\/RrkeXqNJ8g<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Handsworth Ladies FC (@HandsworthWFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HandsworthWFC\/status\/1853075145193058658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 3, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were one of the lowest-ranked teams left in it,\u201d said the Handsworth head coach. \u201cWe knew we were going to play somebody higher. Then you think, what&#8217;s the best scenario for us? Obviously, playing at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was excited about the story of the FA Cup, the excitement that comes with that, and we made a big deal of it. We got 260 in there, which for a grassroots football team was fantastic. A lot of Handsworth shirts, we saw a lot of amber and black stripes in the barmy crowd.\u201d<br><br>It was going to be a first for the Ambers, often they were an attacking, free-flowing unit, but coming up against the formidable Minsterwomen, a change of approach was needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were always going to defend. We were always going to have a low block, try and get bodies behind the ball, and then try to steal something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe set up with a 5-3-2, we dropped the defensive line ten yards from what it normally would be. The midfield wasn&#8217;t pushing on, they were shifting left and right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were always going to be dangerous on corners. So for us, we&#8217;ve got two or three who are very physical in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo yeah, Ellie\u2019s [goal] was from a corner, the first time we got a corner in the game, the routine was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf we were ever going to win, which was the biggest long shot, we had to score first. We were never going to be able to chase the game because as soon as we opened up, they&#8217;d absolutely tear us apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Handsworth getting their noses in front was an unlikely story, then Jepson\u2019s wife bagging what would go on to be the winner for his side is even more incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think it was a matter of minutes [between the two goals]. And the second was from another corner. It was my wife, Katie, who actually scored.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a roller coaster for a couple of minutes because we scored a goal to make it two-nil, which you think in your head that&#8217;s an even bigger platform to perform on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe second emotion was obviously to see that my wife had scored it. So the elation for her and knowing how happy she would be to see my daughter celebrating. My wife ran towards my daughter, knowing how proud she\u2019d be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">That being said- a huge congratulations to the Ladies and to Gary. Our highest ever finish, points tally and goals scored! A huge achievement, not forgetting our incredible FA cup run. With a depleted squad, it really has been an unbelievable season \ud83e\udde1\ud83d\udda4<\/p>&mdash; Handsworth Ladies FC (@HandsworthWFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HandsworthWFC\/status\/1921616261219238096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Handsworth had officially hit fairytale status at this point, achieving a two-goal cushion in a matter of minutes, with the crowd behind the players. But one thing made it difficult, and that was the fact that there was still over a half to play, and that called for one thing, utilising the dark arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnce we were two-nil up, I told one of the girls to go down with cramp and give us 30 seconds for everyone to get their breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd then you&#8217;re thinking, from a game plan perspective, that low block, that three in front is the right approach. We kept with that, and it was about getting to half-time. The message was \u2018just hold\u2019, nothing silly, nothing daft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen you&#8217;re two-nil up, the girls buy into the game plan even more. They buy into that little bit of, maybe having a walk for a corner, maybe if the ball goes out for a throw, we tie our shoelaces first. We discussed that there were going to be times in a game when we had to slow it right down. We had to frustrate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd then you could feel it as the clock went into 75 minutes, their bench was very irate. They were shouting for decisions, questioning the linesmen. The [York City] girls on the pitch were getting frustrated, and for us, that played into our hands, because we could feed off that energy that they were getting more nervous, which allowed us to grow, and feel like we got them rattled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Handsworth had won the mental battle with minutes to spare, and that saw them win in the FA Cup First Round for the first time in their club\u2019s history, they were unsuccessful against a high-flying Mancunian Unity side next up, but that didn\u2019t matter, the Ambers had achieved the unthinkable, that 2-0 win will stand out in each individual\u2019s career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Handsworth Ladies boss Gary Jepson masterminded a FA Cup giant-killing on home turf, in a game that saw them defy expectations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,64],"tags":[56],"class_list":["post-532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behindthexi","category-behind-the-xi-3","tag-handsworth-ladies"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Giant killing &amp; 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