Prizewinner Abi dreams of more Durham glory in big Women's FA Cup clash with Everton

Durham Women's forward Abi Cottam with her SSE Women's FA Cup player of the round award.

The 26-year-old bagged two fine goals and two assists to help the Wildcats down Leicester 5-2 to progress to a quarter-final against Everton at New Ferens Park on Sunday, March 18 (2pm).

The forward said: “It’s a massive achievement and a great honour to have won player of the round.

“For us to get through to this stage is really special. You cannot take away anything from the FA Cup, it will always be one of those things that is special for any footballer.

“To get the club to this stage is fantastic and we’ll certainly give it our best on the day.

“Everton is a huge game for us.

“It’s not something we should fear, it’s something we should be very excited about and, as long as we prepare properly, there’s no reason why we cannot get the result we want from it.

“I think we need to focus on us, I think if we worry too much about what they’re going to do then it will be detrimental to us. I think we need to focus on being defensively strong and taking our chances when we get them and that’s all we can do.”

Cottam’s sensational volley set the tone for a fine display against Leicester at New Ferens Park, adding a second before setting up striking partner Zoe Ness twice in the comfortable fifth round victory.

The forward admits she’s thoroughly enjoyed her time alongside Ness since joining the club from West Bromwich Albion last summer and believes the Scottish striker has helped her settle into the club.

Cottam said: “Playing alongside Zoe has been a really good experience for me, she’s a great player and has been brilliant all season.

“Her hold up play is unbelievable, I’m more of a runner than the hold-up player but learning that side has been really important and getting that understanding about how to play off of her is great for me.

“This is my first season here, so I’m getting used to the way things work.

“It has been a step-up but I’ve settled in straight away and it’s about getting minutes on the pitch.

“It’s been easy enough with the girls around us. They’re massively helpful.”

*Tickets are now on sale for the SSE Women’s FA Cup Final on Saturday, May 5 at Wembley Stadium connected by EE. For more information about tickets and SSE’s involvement in women’s football visit www.sponsorship.sse.com.