AFTER tickets went on sale late last week, there has now been over 1800 sold for the Bridgwater United vs Manchester United FA Cup fixture on January 30.

This means that the match set to be played at Fairfax Park will now not only break, but smash past attendance records for the Bridgwater United Football Club.

Before the day, the club is expecting ticket sales to reach close to the 2500 mark, which would also see the ground at maximum capacity for the fixture.

Defensive midfielder for Bridgwater, Leah Burridge said it is so exciting to see so many tickets being sold.

"This is an exciting time for us as players and as a club, we can't wait to play in front of a record crowd.

"We hope we can inspire young girls in the South West and in Bridgwater to pursue football after they see the big crowd for this match."

The previous highest attendance for a Bridgwater United fixture was 1112 when they hosted local rivals Taunton Town on February 26, 1997.

"This will be the biggest crowd at a sporting event in the area perhaps ever, so we are so proud to represent Bridgwater," Leah said.

Bridgwater Mercury: TEAMMATES: Leah Burridge, left, with Amy Goddard (pic: Debbie Gould)TEAMMATES: Leah Burridge, left, with Amy Goddard (pic: Debbie Gould)

The women qualified for the Fourth Round of the competition after defeating in-form Championship side Crystal Palace 1-0 back in December 12, 2021.

The shock upset made news around the UK as a 'giant killing' however for the Bridgwater players they knew they were good enough to win.

"We were confident going in to the Crystal Palace game, we were underdogs and we were ready for the challenge," Bridgwater United defender, Amy Goddard said.

"It will be the same going into the Manchester United game, we are the underdogs again, there is no pressure on us so we are ready to take the game to them.

"To see how many people have bought tickets to come and support us is amazing, to see our fanbase grow is really nice, and we are excited to see the new fans stick around after we beat Manchester United," Goddard said.

Manchester United are currently in fourth in the FA Women's Super League and most recently won 5-0 against Aston Villa in the league.

The side is pushing for a Champions League place for next season however before the heights of European football they have to overcome the challenge of the Bridgwater United women and the pitch at Fairfax Park.

Wet weather has recently called off a number of fixtures at the Bridgwater ground and before the Manchester United game there is plenty of men and women's football to be played there.

Perhaps the conditions will give the Bridgwater women an advantage, and along with the home crowd, who knows what can happen.

Amy Goddard finished her interview with the Bridgwater Mercury by saying: "This match will be a good game, with a great atmosphere, what more could you ever want from a game of football."