Chelsea manager Emma Hayes may turn to Drew Spence, one of her most trusted foot soldiers, to beef up the firepower for tonight’s Conti Cup semi-final game against Manchester United, writes Jane Grove.

The match kicks off at 7.30pm at Leigh Sports Village, the home of Manchester United Women.

Spence, who has been at the club since 2008, broke the deadlock on Sunday against Championship side Charlton in the Women’s FA Cup – one of two goals from the midfielder which helped seal an emphatic 4-0 away win, to set the Blues up for a 5th round match against Liverpool.

Spence, pictured with a young fan at Charlton’s home, The Oakwood, who was keen to have her photo taken alongside the experienced striker, remains completely focused in playing her part in Chelsea’s quest for silverware.

After the match against the Addicks she spoke about the ultimate goal of winning trophies, with the Blues still in contention for the FA Cup, the Conti Cup and the league (where the next home fixture comes this weekend against West Ham at Kingsmeadow).

“We want to get to Wembley every season, I think that’s the target,” said the 27-year-old, who was besieged by young fans after the Charlton game, eager for autographs and selfies. “When we get to every final, we want to win every trophy really. We are through to the next round [of the FA Cup] and we are a step closer.

“With three games in a week, you know, we are thankful we’ve got this depth in our squad. We’ve got international players away at the moment, we’ve still got injured players ready to come back in, so it was even better for the youngsters to come in and prove themselves today, which they did.”

Hayes and her squad travelled to Manchester yesterday to prepare for tonight’s fixture, which can be watched live on The FA Player, a free streaming platform, exclusively dedicated to women’s football in England. Click on the link, then select the Continental Tyres League Cup logo on the page.