Home   Ipswich   Sport   Article

Subscribe Now

Sudbury midfielder Eloise King believes Ipswich Town Women’s display at Women’s Super League powerhouse Manchester City proves they can cut it at higher level




Eloise King believes Ipswich Town Women’s display at Women’s Super League powerhouse Manchester City proves they can cut it at a higher level as they look to deliver the club a historic promotion to the second tier.

The 22-year-old Sudbury-based midfielder came off the bench late on as The Tractor Girls bowed out of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup with their heads held high in a 3-0 defeat at the Joie Stadium on Sunday.

Despite two levels separating them in the football pyramid, Town trailed by just a single goal at the break, Jill Roord putting the second-placed WSL outfit ahead with a low shot 20 minutes in.

Ipswich Town Women midfielder Eloise King. Picture: ITFC / Matchday Images
Ipswich Town Women midfielder Eloise King. Picture: ITFC / Matchday Images

The potential for a major fourth-round upset began to fade when Laura Coombs doubled City’s lead 10 minutes into the second half with a volley after her initial shot came back off the crossbar, before Vivianne Miedema added a third with 14 minutes to go to put the outcome beyond doubt.

But it was a far cry from what happened the last time an Ipswich side - with King one of only three survivors in Joe Sheehan’s squad along with Natasha Thomas and Sophie Peskett - met The Citizens.

Back in February 2020, at the same stage in the same competition, The Tractor Girls, who were then plying their trade a level lower at Tier 4, were on the end of a 10-0 mauling in the north west.

Eloise arriving for the Women's FA Cup fourth round tie at Manchester City Women. Picture: ITFC / Matchday Images
Eloise arriving for the Women's FA Cup fourth round tie at Manchester City Women. Picture: ITFC / Matchday Images

And King, who came through AFC Sudbury’s academy - playing with the boys in the days before a separate girls section - certainly feels it shows just how far they have come since.

“I was talking about it with Sophie and we felt like we were just kids, to be fair, that had never experienced anything like that,” she said.

“Naturally, as you play more seasons, you learn a lot more and adapt to the game better. I think that goes for the manager as well, Joe is probably more aware and better prepared.

Eloise King (back left) warming up. Picture: ITFC / Matchday Images
Eloise King (back left) warming up. Picture: ITFC / Matchday Images

“And we're probably fitter, quicker and more intelligent now than what we were back in 2020.”

Despite the 2025 result also meaning their FA Cup journey has come to an end, King feels they can take plenty of positives from the way played as they look to use their games in hand to dethrone Hashtag United at the top of the FAWNL Southern Premier Division.

“3-0, considering we're in Tier 3 is a good result. And obviously we can take a lot of confidence into our own league now we've played one of the biggest women's teams in the world,” she said.

“So I think that can only set us up well. And obviously adapting to the pace of the game, the pace of their players, we know that whatever Tier 3 throws at us we'll be able to compete against and have a good outcome.”

Second-placed Town are only three points behind leaders Hashtag having played three games less. Their next game comes away at Welsh second bottom side Gwalia United a week on Sunday (2pm).

And King, who has featured in 13 of the 18 games in all competitions this season, with two starts and 11 sub appearances, is itching for more minutes, believing she has got on top of managing last season’s mystery muscular injury. Her current regime sees her go to a club specialist to have her hip realigned every two weeks, as it has been found to tilt forward.

“It’s just a case of managing me,” she said of a condition that leaves her sitting out one of four training sessions a week.

“I'm working hard all the time and hopefully there will be an opportunity for me to have more minutes and help the team this season.”

King, who has developed her game from a number 10 into more of a holding midfielder, only managed two appearances, both from the bench, in a nightmare 2023/24 campaign that she now hopes to have left firmly behind her.