Huge financial incentives for Moneyfields in this season’s Women’s FA Cup

Karl Watson’s squad have started their first-ever season at step 4 level in fine style.

They remain unbeaten after five games, one of only two teams in the National League South West Division 1 table yet to lose - table-topping Cardiff, with seven wins in a row, are the other.

Moneys host lower tier Hastings United at Baffins’ PMC Stadium in a third qualifying round tie on Sunday (2pm).

The winners will bank £4,000 from the prize fund with the losers picking up £1,000.

In the next round, the first round proper, there is £6,000 for the winner and £1,500 for the loser.

Those are huge rises compared to last season’s prize fund, where there was only £600 on offer to third qualifying round winners and £850 for first round proper winners.

Watson said: ‘The rewards this year are massive for a club like ours going forward.

‘However, we can’t look too far ahead. I don’t want to under-estimate Hastings and I don’t want our players to under-estimate them either.

‘It won’t be a walk in the park, they are smashing their league.’

Hastings have won their opening five London & South East Region Division 1 South fixtures so far, scoring 39 times and conceding just two.

Watson travelled to Newhaven last weekend to watch them triumph 8-0.

‘They’ve got a pretty similar budget to ours,’ he said. ‘They are ambitious and want to climb the leagues.’

Though unbeaten in the league, Moneys have been knocked out of two cups in recent weeks.

They were beaten 1-0 at Keynsham in the Women’s National League Cup before suffering a penalty shoot-out defeat to Portishead in the Plate - a tournament for first round National League Cup losers.

Moneys led Portishead 2-0 at Furze Lane - ‘we were cruising’ recalled Watson - before the visitors hit back to level.

Moneys’ last outing, though, saw them win 3-1 at Selsey in league game with goals from Kayleigh Tonks,Roxanne Lee-Stewart and Jade Widdows.

Portsmouth are one of 24 third tier clubs exempt until the first round proper of the Women’s FA Cup.

The 12 Championship clubs enter at the third round stage and the 12 Super League clubs are introduced at the fourth round stage.