Cup dream for Wolves two
Wolves goalkeepers Matt Murray and Natalie Hall are poles apart in stature, but both will harbour the same ambition of winning their FA Cup clashes this weekend.
Murray, a 6ft 5in stopper, has sponsored the 5ft 3in Wolves Women goalkeeper for three years with £50 a season towards the costs of playing.
Both goalkeepers are hoping for great support at their respective FA Cup games over the weekend - and they met up to share stories at the men's training ground in Newbridge yesterday.
Wolves play Oldham at Molineux in the third round tomorrow while Wolves Women play Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Women's Cup at Bilston Town on Sunday.
Both goalkeepers are from Lichfield and both attended the Friary School, where Murray's mother is a teacher.
Natalie, aged 18, and a primary school teaching student at the University of Central England in Birmingham, has a twin sister Becky who plays for Birmingham City.
She wrote to Matt asking for his support and said he had been a great help.
"I have met him a couple of times and it was nice to see him again," she said. "He just wished me good luck and told me to keep going."
Natalie said her stature was not an obstacle to success. She said: "People are always telling me that I'm too small but I work on other areas to compensate for that and I don't see it as a problem. Hopefully we will beat Liverpool but it is going to be a tough game."
Jenny Wilkes, chairwoman of Wolves Women, said Matt Murray was a great supporter of the women's club. She said: "This is the third season Matt has sponsored Natalie and we have lots of expenses to meet, so any sponsorship really helps."
She expects to see more than 200 people at the game, which kicks off at 2pm, and urged more Wolves fans to show their support by turning out for both matches.
Football is now the top female sport, with more than 130,000 affiliated players, and it is growing all the time.
By Andy Rea
