Women's FA Cup: Hashtag United's Sammy Rowland has a scoring record to match Erling Haaland

Sammy Rowland scored 20 goals in 11 games for AFC Acorns last season before joining Hashtag United

There are not many players who can get close to matching the scoring exploits of Manchester City's Erling Haaland.

But Sammy Rowland of fourth-tier women's side Hashtag United is giving it her best shot.

She is leading the Golden Ball race in the Women's FA Cup with 11 goals in four games ahead of Sunday's fourth-round tie away to Coventry United.

Rowland has hit 27 goals in all competitions this season - 17 of them in her past five games - which is not bad for a player carrying an injury. In comparison, Haaland has netted 31 times this term.

"I actually tore my meniscus in pre-season, so I was out for the first month-and-a-half. I started late but hit the ground running really," she told BBC Essex Sport.

"I got a steroid injection which lasts for about two months. I think it's starting to wear off now, a bit of the pain is still there but I just power through it at the minute as it's going well."

Rowland's record in this season's competition is quite phenomenal.

She began with a first-half hat-trick in a 7-0 qualifying-round victory at Bedford LFC, banged in five as they thrashed Colney Heath 10-1 in the first round and added another treble as they beat Actonians 3-0 to set up Sunday's tie at the Butts Park Arena in Coventry.

Chloe Williams of Liskeard Athletic won the inaugural women's Golden Ball trophy as last season's top scorer in the Women's FA Cup.

"I didn't know anything about it," said Rowland. "It was our physio Alan [Richards] who said 'you know the top goalscorer gets to go to Wembley'. I went 'I'm not going to get that' but he said 'last year the girl who won it only scored 12' - I'm on 11 already."

Rowland has maintained her hot streak since that hat-trick against Actonians on 11 December, with four goals against Watford in the National League Cup, five in a 16-0 league win over Hounslow and another four against Bowers & Pitsea in an Essex Cup tie.

But they are far from a one-woman side, with Kelly Wealthall, Grace Gillard and Malika Apindia also in double figures for the season.

They were originally formed as Basildon Ladies, later AFC Basildon, but changed names again following a merger with Hashtag United - the men's team having been formed by Youtube celebrity Spencer Owen in 2016 - and Forest Glade three years ago.

Rowland and co are top of National League Division One South East with eight wins and a draw from nine games played - and a goal difference of +55.

And the men's team are also going well, winning their last 11 games to set a new club record.

"Spencer is really pushing the club in a really good direction and with the exposure we're getting - we get viewers from all over the world because it's promoted on Youtube - he's really creating something special," said Rowland.

First win timely for Coventry

By contrast to Hashtag United, it's been a tough 12 months for Coventry United, who were saved from liquidation by a local businessman in January 2022 but decided to go part-time last summer amid fresh financial concerns, having narrowly avoided relegation.

They are bottom of the Championship with only one win from 12 games.

But that win came last weekend, a 3-2 home victory over Crystal Palace, and they have this week brought in three new loan players from the Women's Super League, Birmingham City defender Mollie Green, midfielder Conny Scofield from Leicester City and Aston Villa striker Isobel Goodwin.

Head coach Lee Burch admits that Hashtag are "flying" in their division, but he told BBC CWR: "We feel that if we hit the consistency of the last two games and perform how we should do, we should be able to progress."

At the same stage of last season's competition, Coventry beat Hashtag's Essex rivals Billericay on penalties following a 1-1 draw and went on to reach the quarter-finals before losing 4-0 to Arsenal.

They have home advantage but that, claims Rowland, is just fine by the underdogs from two divisions below.

"A lot of the girls wanted an away draw just so we could have the experience of travelling up, staying in a hotel the night before and properly preparing for the big game," she said.

Promotion is 'the big one'

Hashtag are still fighting on three fronts - they also have an Essex Cup semi-final against Billericay coming up and if they win, they could end up facing their own reserve side in the final.

Hashtag United won 9-0 at Bowers & Pitsea in their most recent game on 15 January

The main objective, though, is to make the step up to the third tier for next season by winning promotion.

"It will be a run in between us, Norwich and AFC Wimbledon. We've still got to play Wimbledon one more time and then Norwich twice," explained Rowland.

"Promotion will be the big one and anything we can do this weekend will be a bonus."

Despite her prolific scoring record, Rowland admits she is not always as precise in front of goal as she - and coach Jason Stephens - would like to be.

"I have missed a few sitters - I missed a stinker at training on Tuesday - but I only score bangers, so let's see what I can do on Sunday," she added.

Should Hashtag pull off a shock win and make it into the fifth-round draw, Rowland has no doubts about who she would like next.

"I'm a Man U fan, so Man U away at Old Trafford, that would be a dream."