Over the weekend ending 14th December, the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Third Round Proper kicked off with a bang as the competition also saw the entry of the WSL2 teams.
Keep reading to find out all of the results from this year’s Third Round Proper, plus:
– a bonus in-depth match report from Wolves vs Nottingham Forest,
– who are the 3 history makers of this year’s tournament?
– those all important Fourth Round fixtures!
Saturday 13th December:
Wolverhampton (3) 1 – 2 Nottingham Forest (2)
A dominant Forest side netted 2 goals in the first half and looked to enter the next round of the competition comfortably. However, third tier Wolves came out fighting in the second half, pushing the tier 2 side until the very end.
As previous league rivals, it was always going to be a tough contest and it was a disappointing start for the home side as Forest were able to take an early lead. Gaps in the defence allowed Georgia Brougham to head Chloe Mustaki’s into the back of the net for 0-1 after a well-delivered set piece.
Alert to the danger, Wolves grew into the game and began to frustrate Forest who tried their best to find their second of the game which ultimately came in the 20th minute. Summer signing Aimee Claypole was able to pick up a well-placed through-ball and carried on into the box, slotting home into the bottom corner for 0-2.
As the time wound down to half-time, Wolves became more confident in front of goal and record goalscorer Beth Merrick was the first real test for Forest keeper Emily Batty, who made a crucial save moments before the whistle.
After the restart, Wolves looked rejuvenated as they started strong and put Forest on the back foot, claiming a goal back minutes before the hour mark. Wolves captain Morphet delivered a curling ball into the box and Georgia Marshall was there for the flick-on to half the deficit (although the ball did slightly deflect off Forest’s Mustaki’s shoulder and was officially given as an own goal).
As the clock ticked down once more, it became more obvious this game would be Forest’s to lose as Wolves tried desperately to find the equaliser. With five minutes to go, it was keeper Emily Batty to the rescue as she denied Georgia Marshall from getting a brace as yet another set piece delivery looked to find its target.
Finally, Nottingham Forest made sure they saw out the final minutes of the game to claim the win in regular time and they became the first team in the hat for the fourth round.
Photo Credit: Nottingham Forest FC on X
Sunday 14th December: All Third Round fixtures and results
| Durham (2) | 0 – 1 | Sheffield United (2) |
| Newcastle United (2) | 4 – 0 | Liverpool Feds (3) |
| AFC Portchester (5) | 0 – 5 | Ipswich Town (2) |
| Burnley (3) | 7 – 0 | Peterborough United (4) |
| Dartford (5) | 2 – 3 (AET) | London Bees (4) |
| Oxford United (3) | 2 – 1 | Plymouth Argyle (3) |
| Southampton (2) | 10 – 0 | Royston Town (5) |
| AFC Bournemouth (3) | 5 – 0 | Fulham (5) |
| Altrincham (6) | 0 – 3 | York City (4) |
| Birmingham City (2) | 6 – 0 | Sporting Khalsa (3) |
| Charlton Athletic (2) | 3 – 2 | Watford (3) |
| Derby County (3) | 1 – 5 | Sunderland (2) |
| Leeds United (4) | 0 – 3 | West Bromwich Albion (3) |
| Mancunian Unity (5) | 1 – 2 | Hull City (3) |
| Middlesborough (3) | 3 – 0 | AFC Fylde (5) |
| Sutton United (5) | 0 – 3 | Chatham Town (4) |
| Bristol City (2) | 2 – 0 | Portsmouth (2) |
| Leafield Athletic (4) | 2 – 3 | Swindon Town (4) |
| Lewes (3) | 0 – 1 | Crystal Palace (2) |
History makers:
Wins for AFC Bournemouth, Hull City and York City means they are through to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history!
(York City Ladies
Photo credit:Ian Parker, Ice Photography on X)
Weekend of 17/18th January 2026: Fourth Round Fixtures
| Charlton Athletic (2) | vs | Swindon Town (4) |
| AFC Bournemouth (3) | vs | Manchester City (1) |
| Ipswich Town (2) | vs | Sheffield United (2) |
| Oxford United (3) | vs | Middlesborough (3) |
| Chatham Town (4) | vs | York City (4) |
| Arsenal (1) | vs | Aston Villa (1) |
| Southampton (2) | vs | Bristol City (2) |
| Manchester United (1) | vs | Burnley (3) |
| London Bees (4) | vs | Liverpool (1) |
| Tottenham Hotspur (1) | vs | Leicester City (1) |
| Brighton and Hove Albion (1) | vs | Nottingham Forest (2) |
| Chelsea (1) | vs | Crystal Palace (2) |
| Newcastle United (2) | 0 – 3 | West Ham United (1) |
| Sunderland (2) | vs | London City Lionesses (1) |
| West Bromwich Albion (3) | 0 – 5 | Everton (1) |
| Hull City (3) | vs | Birmingham City (2) |
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