CHORLEY FC Women’s FA Cup dream may be over but their continued progression on and off the pitch has only just started.

The Magpies slipped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of North West Regional League leaders Stockport County on Sunday. But despite losing to lower league opposition, the club is looking at the bigger picture - a picture that began to take shape on Saturday, August 14 2018.

It was a huge day in the history of Chorley FC Women as their affiliation with Chorley FC was announced after months of planning.

It means, under the Magpies umbrella, the club now wear the famous black and white stripes after years of wearing yellow and then changing to orange.

But more importantly, the women’s section can plan for the future and put down roots at Victory Park having previously called Charnock Richard Football Club and then Euxton Villa Football Club home.

A development squad has been formed and the Magpies are now able to train twice a week and participate in classroom sessions to aid match analysis and help the players improve.

Chorley Women’s manager Andy Ramskill is delighted to see his side join forces with Chorley FC which he believes can only help achieve goals and ambitions for all concerned.

“Both of these clubs are ambitious,” said Ramskill, who holds a UEFA B license. “This affiliation will only help us to grow and achieve the goals we have set for ourselves.

“Playing here (Victory Park) provides the club with stability going in to future seasons and the guarantee of playing on a good surface.”

Chorley play in the FA Women’s National League Division One North, a league the manager believes is the toughest to compete in.

So having strength in depth, in the form of the development squad, is a massive help.

The development squad, managed by Dean Stevely, was formed as a way of building a pathway to the first team for younger players. This has proven to be a success as they currently sit top of the Reserve Northern Division Two in their first season.

Having this larger pool of players enables Ramskill to bring in youth players who are performing well in training in to the first team squad - something he has had to do this season.

“We don’t have a full squad to choose from currently, so we are relying on development team players,” he said.

“But this shows the kind of progress the club has made in such a short space of time. This time last year, this would not have been possible.

“I believe the National League is the toughest league, you’ve got players who have played at the top level that have dropped down as they want to enjoy their football.

“The standard in the league this season has gone way above what it was in previous years.”

In terms of recruiting players, he added: “We’re in quite a good central area. We’ve got Blackburn, Everton, Liverpool, City and United around us but then you’ve got your teams like Bolton and Fylde who are trying to get the players that we’re after.”

While the younger players are the long term future of the club, senior squad members are delighted to see a one-club mentality in the town.

Long serving player and former captain Janet Mitchell, said: “As a group of players we are really excited about what this can do for our club.

“We get to play at Victory Park and being part of the set-up here is a major step forward for us as a club.”

Chorley currently sit fourth in the league and, including the FA Cup defeat, are on a run of four games without a win, but manager Ramskill believes this will change.

“Lately we’ve been missing a lot of first team players due to injury, once we get them back we’ll start climbing up the league again,” he said.

While manager Ramskill was disappointed to be out of the cup, when the game was switched to Barnoldswick Town due to Chorley men’s involvement in the FA Cup, he praised the efforts of his squad.

“It’s been a tough for us. As a group I’m sure we will bounce back,” he said. “These players are an amazing squad and I wouldn’t swap them for anyone. Games like this make us even more determined to work harder to make us an even stronger group.”

Determination is certainly a way to describe how the club has improved off the pitch and and they will be looking to get stronger on it - especially as local rivals Burnley Women come to town on Sunday.