A blog of two halves

All bets are off for Chelsea’s visit to Man City this weekend

It’s the pick of the FA Cup semis, with both sides hoping their players return from recent international duties unscathed.

27 October 2021
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Chelsea Women's Jessie Fleming wearing the Canada team shirt. PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES

Even if Manchester City haven't had the best start in their league campaign, all bets are off as Chelsea visit the Academy Stadium this weekend.

It's the pick of the FA Cup semis, with both sides hoping their players return from recent international duties unscathed.

Jessie Fleming, now back in contention for a regular starting place in the Chelsea Women's team, scored another penalty for Canada in a friendly victory over New Zealand as the Olympic champions power on.

What's curious is that Fleming's appearances for Chelsea lack the belief and confidence she shows for her national team.

Is she overawed by the quality of the forwards and midfielders playing around her at Kingsmeadow?

Pernille Harder was again on target for Denmark in an 8-0 demolition of Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Erin Cuthbert played a key role in an exciting 2-1 win for Scotland over Hungary.

England's late victory over a dogged Northern Ireland team at Wembley gave Fran Kirby and Millie Bright starts in Sarina Wiegman's national side. But it was only after a double Beth substitution – England and Mead – in the second half that the goals began flowing.

Wiegman has spent time at Kingsmeadow, in the VIP section of the main stand, quietly observing Kirby, England, Niamh Charles and Jess Carter.

Although neither Carter nor Charles was used from the bench at Wembley, both figure in her long-term plans, with the whisper at Kingsmeadow that Carter is being lined up as an eventual replacement for Bright – both at club and national level.

Sunday lunchtime's match at Manchester, to earn a place in the delayed FA Cup final at Wembley on December 5, is live on BBC1.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

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Tim Harrison

Tim is our Chelsea FC blogger.

He also writes our Shepherds Bush Cricket Club match reports during the football close season.

Tim has been writing Chelsea match reports since the late 1980s for newspapers and, more recently, websites.

When he first reported on the Blues, the press box was a metal cage suspended over the lip of the old west stand - and you reached it via a precarious walkway over the heads of the fans.

But he has been a Chelsea fan since his father took an excited seven-year-old to watch Chelsea v Manchester United in the mid 1960s... and covered his ears every time the chanting got too ripe.

In July 2005 he wrote The Rough Guide to Chelsea, published by Penguin, which sold 15,000 copies.

His favourite player of all time is Charlie Cooke, the mazy winger who lit up Chelsea's left wing in the 60s and 70s.

When he isn't watching the Blues, Tim acts, paints, writes and researches local history.

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