Watford have been handed a significant boost to their Women’s FA Cup hosts after Arsenal agreed to let three loan players feature for the Hornets against the Gunners in Sunday’s tie at Meadow Park.

Arsenal academy talents Michelle Agyemang, Laila Harbert and Katie Reid all feature for the Lionesses at youth level, and despite all being younger than the age of eighteen, have all proved to be key players for Watford in their Women’s Championship campaign.

New: I understand Arsenal loanees Michelle Agyemang, Laila Harbert and Katie Reid will be able to play for Watford against their parent club in Sunday's Women's FA Cup tie following an agreement between the two clubs ?

— Freddie Cardy (@CardyFreddie) January 9, 2024

Watford head coach Damon Lathrope revealed that his delight in being drawn against Arsenal in the fourth round quickly turned into realisation that his side would be without some key players.

“Going into the draw we wanted either a really big challenge, like a top WSL team, or one of the lower rank teams which would give us a really good chance of progressing in the competition,” said Lathrope.

“Having got Arsenal it was a brilliant one because it’s probably our most local club, local derby, but then the realisation that we might be missing three of our really influential players meant that it was probably the worst best team that we could have got, because we’re a lot weaker without those loan players from Arsenal.

“We’re excited, fully aware that it will be one hell of a task for us, but one that we feel we can give a good representation of ourselves in.”

Lathrope took the Watford Women job after a spell coaching in their academy as well as helping out the women’s team. He was also involved in non-league men’s side Hitchin Town FC’s academy, so the former Torquay United midfielder is no stranger to working with young players:

“There’s many considerations that working in the women’s game and working with academy boys, there’s a lot of similarities there, and lots of considerations that you have to think about. And I think that maybe my temperament and my nature probably fell into that skillset, if I’m reflecting on it,” he told the Gooner Fanzine. 

And definitely for sure working with the academy and developing younger players really equipped me well for this role, because we’ve got a lot of young girls at the start of their careers with us, due to the resources that we’ve got and the plan that we’ve got in place at the club.”

Lathrope revealed to the Gooner that his side are "hopeful" of signing a goalkeeper in the January transfer window, and are looking to finalise a move for one before the Arsenal game. 

Watford, will not be splashing the cash in the January transfer window, however: “We don’t have an unlimited pot of money to go and buy players. If a young talent who we can get, and go and give an opportunity to on a dual sign pops up, then that’s probably the more realistic option for us. For sure, we won’t be going and having four, five, six big names joining us in January at all. We’re confident with what we’ve got, we’re going to back what we’ve got and really work hard on the training field to make improvements rather than bringing players in.”

After promotion to the Women’s Championship this season, Lathrope reflected on the challenges of being the only part-time team in the second tier. 

“It’s really tough, to be honest. We are the only part-time team in the league, we’ll have the smallest budget by a country mile in the league. Things that people probably don’t understand, such as we train 8 until 10 at night, which is really tough when the girls have got to get up and go to work at eight o’clock in the morning again. Recovery and things like that, which people don’t always take into consideration, plays a huge factor. Fitness levels of us against everyone else are things we have to overcome and find ways around making it competitive. 

“We’re really keen to work with players that are either hungry to progress, that have got a point to prove, or young players at the start of their career that need opportunity, that need a platform to show how good they are to maybe then kick on. Sometimes doing it that way, because we haven’t got the resources to go and get that complete player who is proven and has been at that level. We know with what we’re going to get that we have to be creative, and find ways to be competitive in the league with what we’re working with. We have done that, to be honest. 

Watford sit bottom of the Championship, but Lathrope believes they are “very close to being a very good team.”

“We needed a bit of fortune, and I’m sure that it will go our way,” he said. “We lost our goalkeeper, and a big summer signing from Arsenal, Michelle Agyemang, in the first few weeks of the season, which didn’t help us at all- arguably two of the most important players, a goalkeeper and a goalscorer. We’re recovering from that, but the team isn't far away at all. For anyone who has watched us, we’re trying to do things a certain way. We’ve had lots of success doing that but it’s teething problems as well. We understand that it will come with a lot of time and a lot of effort, and we’re not chucking any kind of white towel in just yet.”